Feudalism In The Dark Ages

The span of time referred to as the dark ages began after the great Empire of Rome fell and ended before the Renaissance period began. This time lasted from 500 A.D. to 1500 A.D. More appropriately this period of time has been renamed the Middle ages, which is an improvement upon the term Dark ages, which has a negative connotation. The term dark ages was awarded to this period in the 1300’s due to the decrease in information that scholars had access to about this span of time. In contrast to its previous name, the Middle ages was a time of progress, peace, and a higher quality of life. Some reasons for this include: governmental reform, religious unity, and agricultural improvements.

The decline of the western part of the old Roman Empire left Europe without the laws and protection the empire had provided. The vacuum was filled by the creation of a feudal hierarchy. In this hierarchy, the serf, or peasant, was protected by the lord of the manor, who, in turn, owed allegiance to and was protected by a higher overlord. And so the system went, ending eventually with the king. The strong protected the weak, but they did so at a high price. In return for payments of money, food, labor, or military allegiance, overlords granted the fief, or feudum – a hereditary right to use land – to their vassals. At the bottom was the serf, a peasant who

Under the feudal system, people would usually either work on manors or fields. According to document 4, vassals would give their loyalty, Military service, even a ransom if needed and in exchange, the Lord would give them both protection as well as land. Most people during the Middle Ages were vassals, very few were lords. If one was a lord, they then held absolute power over the fiefs. This meant the Lord could hold a court and decide the punishment for crimes. In this Age of Feudalism, the only people who had a higher status than the Lords was the King. In document 2 John of Toul the liege man of the count and countess of Champagne is promising to, "- aid the count of Champagne in my own person," as well as saying, "- whose service I owe to them for the fief which I hold of them." In these two statements, John of Toul is willing to fight in battle for the count of Champagne because he owes them service because of the land he was given by them. This statement shows how truly powerful the feudal system was at the time and how people did follow the rules of

As the Roman empire fell, a new era unfolded. This era was known as The Middle Ages, also referred to as the Dark Ages. The Middle Ages was the time period between the fall of Rome and the beginning of the Renaissance. Starting in 476 AD and ending in 1500 AD, this time period was long, cruel, and consisted of many different events. The Middle Ages was a dark time because of the Viking raids, bubonic plague, cruel punishments, and a feudalistic society.

The Middle Ages occurred between the fall of Roman Empire and the fall of Constantinople (400-1500 C.E). Historians establish numerous attributes to give reasoning why the Middle Ages is believed to deserve multiple labels. This was a time of darkness that correlates with chaos, unorganization and violence. However, this was also a time when the adaptation of feudalism developed and prospered, and faith within the Catholic Church and other religions bloomed and expanded. The Middle Ages in Europe can be viewed as a Dark Age, an Age of Feudalism, and an Age of Faith.

Between the years of 500 and 1400, Europe had evolved into the Middle Ages. The Dark Ages was a period of time where barbarians killed others and burned villages. The kings and nobility granted land to the knights and serfs in exchange for crops and military service this was known as the Age of Feudalism. The Age of Faith relates to how strong the christian church was, the church was an important part of life for the people in the community.The Dark Ages, the Age of Feudalism, the Age of Faith all describe the Middle Ages between the era of 500 and 1400.

In the High Middle ages (after 1000 A.D) and beyond there were major political, economic and intellectual changes that happed across Europe. The changes helped bring about new eras to the European landscape. As Europe was brought into these new eras, it thus brought upon the end of the Dark Ages.

The societal mindset that was prevalent in medieval Europe, feudalism, phased out due to the bubonic plague and the religious beliefs of the people.

When Louis the Pious’, the son of Charlemagne, empire was divided, the subsequent actions of his sons led to the necessary creation of a new social and political structure. The structure that was embraced across western Europe became known to historians as feudalism. According to historians and legal scholars, feudalism is categorized as a political system in which warriors and religious figures swore their than allegiance, in the form of of loyalty, aid, and military assistance to the most powerful noble, in the area. In exchange for their allegiance, these warriors and religious figures, better known as vassals, were given protection and material reward, often in the form of a fief, from their lord (UWS, 234-235). Another important aspect

Middle Ages has also known by it's called "Dark Ages". It is approximately during 500-1500 AD, which is right after the fall of Roman Empire. The reason why it's called Dark Ages, because during that time period, there is very little literature was made, technologies seem went backward, people don't have a common language to use. The Middle Ages can be subdivided into three parts: early, high, and late Middle Ages. There are a lot of violence, chaos, and wars at that time. And mostly is related to the religions. A lot of poverty, famine, and one of the most severe disease happened.

Limitless trouble loomed in Europe during the eighth and ninth century, and the so called Middle Ages was a time of failure. The Middle Ages lasted from around 476 A.D. to 1100 A.D. In this time period, there was the fall of the Roman Empire followed by the rise of the Renaissance. The crash of the Roman empire was caused by invasions from Germanic tribes which gave Europe trouble and made the Roman Empire collapse. Europe searched for a time of rebirth after the Roman Empire fell. The Renaissance was a time of rebirth and ultimately success for Europe and its people. Also, the lack of a government caused Europe to go into a time of trouble and confusion. This gloomy time period instilled ignorance in the people of Europe and called for progress and change to be made. The Renaissance was exactly what Europe needed to stop the turmoil. The Middle Ages should be called the Dark Ages due to the lack of trust within the people and the adversity faced throughout Europe.

One last reason as to why the Middle Ages was a dark time for Europe is the constant threat of violence. Case in point, "Whether as witnesses, victims or perpetrators, people from the highest ranks of society to the lowest experienced violence as an omnipresent danger in daily life" (“10 Dangers of the Medieval Period”). This demonstrates that no matter where you go, man or woman, there will be violence everywhere. Consequently, this everyday violence would lead to bigger things, like war. The religions of the time were constantly fighting, and it eventually led to the Crusades, a conflict between the Muslims and Christians (“The Dark Ages”). The people and countries were also constantly fighting causing lords of the time to struggle for power and countries attack each other. Outside forces, like the Huns, invaded these weakened countries, which

Something every civilization needs. Something so powerful that without it civilizations fall into chaos. Social Systems. But not just any social system, the European Middle Ages one. The Feudal System. While it may seem insignificant to Europe and Europe’s history compared to other events like the Hundred Years’ War or the Black Plague which killed many people and completely changed many parts of Europe, the Feudal System (also called Feudalism) was also very important to Europe during the Medieval Times.

If you ask someone about the Medieval Ages, they would typically think of kings, princesses, the village folk, and knights in shining armor. What many don't know about of is the Feudal System that made certain images iconic about the Medieval Ages. This system classified them into social classes that ruled their day-to-day lives. The lowest of these social classes were the peasants, who worked in the fields and prevented the kingdom from falling. The last thing people would think about is the hygiene of the Medieval Ages, which was horrendous compared to our modern day way of keeping ourselves clean. These awful living condition led to many outbreaks of disease, which killed many people in the Medieval Ages.

In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or Medieval Period lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and merged into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. The Middle Ages have been referred to by a variety of terms such as the Age of Faith, the Dark Ages, the Age of Feudalism, and even the Golden Age. The fall of the Western Roman Empire typically represents the beginning of the Middle Ages. The disorder that followed, which led to the rise of feudalism.