With the lack of scientific progress and as well as cultural and economic deterioration, it is no wonder why the Middle Ages was also called the Dark Ages. This era only proved to be one of history’s most tragic times because of the violence and fear people had to live with due to how higher authorities treat their civilians. Authority was defined depending on your position in an organized hierarchal system. Feudalism was the main system of supremacy that was followed during that time. It gave not only social authority, but as well as political and economic power. In the feudal system, church officials such as the pope were so unexpectedly powerful that even kings and monarchs feared them as they might be excommunicated if they contradicted …show more content…
This brought fear to people, however it didn’t stop them from creating and preaching ideas that oppose the Catholic Church. Such ideas gave rise to some reformations such as Martin Luther’s Protestantism and Humanism which became basis for John Calvin’s Calvinism in the early Renaissance. Unlike before, the government nowadays wasn’t very brutal when it comes to punishments towards crime. Although it is still heavily punished, it won’t reached the extent of death penalties and torture. We now have the concept of giving the benefit of the doubt to a person in trial, meaning a person that is innocent will remain innocent unless proven by court. That wasn’t applied back then, and that was the most fearful part. The church will decide your state or condition even without evidences. Another aspect of the Middle Ages worth raising were the roles of men and women. Women had little-to-no purpose in the Middle Ages except for taking care of the children and doing field work. They weren’t allowed to leave the house, even for aristocratic women, and they had to follow their husbands wholeheartedly or else they would be beaten, or worse,
Many people cannot agree on whether the European Middle Ages were “Dark Ages” or an “Early Renaissance”. A Dark Age is a time during which a civilization undergoes a decline, while a Renaissance is a new period of growth or activity. Even though there is an equal amount of evidence for both the Dark Ages and the Early Renaissance, some pieces were more effective than others. The European Middle Ages was an Early Renaissance because citizens started to begin new lives as different roles, the feudal system was slowly being forgotten, and the Magna Carta was published.
During this age, everything going on was either bad or had a bad side to it. For instance, there was a plague called the Bubonic Plague. (Doc 6). This plague was extremely contagious and dangerous, consequently the doctors had to wear outfits made out of cloth or leather to protect themselves. (Doc 6). This disease killed 25 million Europeans. Moreover, there was also invasions going on during this time. These invasions had many negative effects on Europeans. For instance, the invasions caused trade to cease. (Doc 7). Also, the invasions caused lots of terror, and the terror led to Europeans moving to hard-to-reach areas. (Doc 7). The people who caused all of this; the invaders, were the Moors and Magyars. (Doc 7). Not to mention, there were more invasions during the Middle Ages. These invaders were the Northmen, they caused lots of damage. (Doc 8). They burned down the town of Dordrecht and took many goods back with them. (Doc 8). Similarly, there were slaughters in Rochester, Quentovic, and London. (Doc 8). The Dark Ages is a perfect label for the Middle Ages because many bad events were happening and death was the outcome. Furthermore, everything going on also had a dark side. For example, the religion; the churches had a dark side. Popular cities has large, tall churches; cathedrals. To be exact, these churches were called Gothic Cathedrals because of its architecture style. (Doc 9). These cathedrals
The author of this book quickly and polemically describes the period from 400 A.D. to 1400 A.D. as the "Dark Ages" even though this term is not used in scholarly research. He claims that the decline in living standards are not only due to crumbling political institutions and infrastructure but to disease, isolation, and religious oppression. Manchester describes just how the medieval mindset emphasizes just how savage medieval people were and how they imposed horrific punishments on one another. Christians butchers one each other during mass. This author claims that this was not civilization but it was a shadow of the Roman empire. There are some movements that destroyed the medieval mindset and the first one was the Renaissance, where new art and ideas were widely
In the sixteenth century the role of women in society was very limited. Women were generally stereotyped as housewives and mothers. They were to be married, living their life providing for her husband and children. The patriarchal values of the Elizabethan times regarded women as the weaker sex.’ Men were considered the dominant gender and were treated with the utmost respect by females. Women were mainly restricted within the confines of their homes and were not allowed to go school or to university, but they could be educated at home by private tutors. Men were said to be the ones to provide for their families financially. Women were often seen as not intelligent. Property could not be titled in the name of a female within the family. Legally everything the female had belonged to her husband. Poor and middle class wives were kept very busy but rich women were not idle either. In a big house they had to organize and supervise the servants.
Another title that the Middle Ages deserve is the label Dark Ages because during the Middle Ages, there was constant chaos and destruction that plagued Western Europe. After the collapse of Rome, the invasions did not end there. The invasions continued throughout the Middle Ages by different groups and tribes. For example, during the ninth and tenth century, the Moor invasions have taken over the South and the Hungarians invaded the Eastern provinces. Both invasion groups sacked villages, held captives, burned down religious buildings, and left a path of destruction while many citizens that escaped took refuge in the mountains or deep forests (doc 1). Also during the invasions of the Moor and Hungarians, the Northmen struck terror in England. The plundered, burned towns, and returned home with boats filled with gold, people, and resources (doc. 3). However, that was not the end of all the chaos during the Middle Ages. During the 14th century, the black death hit Western Europe, which ended up wiping out 1/3 of the population and a body count of over 25 million by the end of the sixteenth century (OI). Consequently, because of the constant chaos and destruction from invasions and plague, little to no development was possible. This slowed down Western Europe's advancements and growth. The
During the medieval times, women were not seen as they are today. Although in the world today there are still those who are full of misogyny, it was much more common and intense during this time period. Women during the middle ages had specific roles assigned to them in society. These roles depended on the type of women they were, whether it be a peasant, noble woman, or an evil temptress. These roles that women have served have shown up in numerous stories from the middle ages including: Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and The Wife’s Lament.
The first reason why The Middle Ages were a dark age is because of the cruel ordeals and punishments that were developed. The people got very creative with their ways to torture captives. The first one is called the ”Bloody Eagle.” (Class Video) The Bloody Eagle was basically when you would
Many people cannot agree on whether the European Middle Ages were “Dark Ages” or an “Early Renaissance”. A Dark Age is a time during which a civilization undergoes a decline, while a Renaissance is a new period of growth or activity. Even though there is an equal amount of evidence for both the Dark Ages and the Early Renaissance, some pieces were more effective than others. The European Middle Ages were an Early Renaissance because citizens started to begin new lives as different roles, the feudal system was slowly being forgotten, and the Magna Carta was published.
After the Fall of Rome, the Dark Ages occurred during the Middle Ages in Western Europe, France, Germany and Italy. The term “Dark Age” is an accurate description for Western Europe despite the formation of feudalism and the united church. The severity of disease, such as the plague, killed millions of people and lead to society not having the desire to prosper with education . These reasons, among others, demonstrate that Western Europe was truly a Dark Age.
Something dark is often described as gloomy, lifeless, and dull. The Middle Ages, however, was the opposite of darkness. Although the beginning of the Middle Ages wasn’t very eventful, it was full of life and new ideas. The term "Dark Ages" doesn’t suggest positive developments of the Middle Ages such as King John signing the Magna Carta to help protect the rights of the nobles, the Japanese expressing themselves through poetry, and the flourishing of trade between Japan and China.
The term “dark ages” which is coined by the Italian Scholar Francesco Petrarch, applies to Medieval Europe during the times between 500 AD and 1500 AD. The term suggests a low-point in society with violence, disease, and war. Medieval Europe included many of these traits. Involving the Crusades, the Black Death, and violence involving religion. For these and the following reason, Medieval Europe was in a dark age.
Were the dark ages actually dark and disastrous for 1000 years? Upon asking people what happened during the Dark Ages, many would say that it was a time period full of war, barbarism, famine, destruction, and plague. However, the dark ages had many advances in technology and education. Like all time periods, the Dark Ages had its perks and its downfalls, just more intense and exaggerated that when passed on from generation to generation, the stories may change or be slightly altered. There are many first hand evidence that and facts about this time period that shows a structured economy, trade, construction, trade, education, and happiness. In this essay, I will show you 5 different reasons why the Dark Ages weren’t as horrible as you may
The time period between 400 CE to 1400 CE in Europe could be objectively proven to be a ‘Dark Age’ for the first six centuries, but starting in the 11th century, advances in technology and education started to create upwards growth in culture and quality of life; therefore, this millennium was more of a ‘transition period’ than a ‘Dark Age’. Document A, an excerpt from the textbook “The Record of Mankind”, stated that from around 476 CE to 1100 CE, most of Europe became overrun with “turmoil and confusion, . . . ignorance and lawlessness”. The textbook explained the cause of this barbarism to be from an absence of government, which could have maintained peace and order (Document A). Crime increased exponentially; this contributed to a decline
The history of the modern world derives from thousands of years of human history. Embedded in its history are the many eras of man which have constructed our modern learning, art, beliefs, and order. The middle ages, although represented as “dark”, backwards, and idle, were in fact a bridge linking the classical and modern world. Medieval society may not have been in a sense glorious, but the era of itself was a prime foundation of the modern world’s newfound stability, a revival of the law and teachings from the classical era, a reinvestment and reform in the church, and a precursor to the golden age of art.
Several men simultaneously claimed to be the true pope. Driven by politics rather than any theological disagreement) badly damaged the prestige of the church leaders. Papal tax collection methods were also attacked, and some criticized the papacy itself as an institution. Court records, written descriptions of bishop’s visitations of parishes and even popular songs and printed images show widespread anticlericalism, or opposition to the clergy.