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Dark Ages: An Appropriate Term For The Middle Ages

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Many people believe the world is a disaster right now. However, one of the worst times in history was the Middle Ages: learning was lost, most were struggling to survive, and law was almost obsolete. A common name for the period between 400CE and 1400CE is the “Dark Ages”. Historians sometimes disagree on whether that term is acceptable for the times. Originally, Dark Ages meant that historians know next to nothing about the Early Middle Ages, but has grown to encompass the entirety of the Middle Ages used to describe the lack of learning and growth. The term “Dark Ages” is not an appropriate term for the Middle Ages because of the art, the literature, and the abundance of trade. First, the term “Dark Ages” is an inappropriate term for the Middle Ages because of the …show more content…

Although learning and the arts were not top priority for the starving peasants, some people started to create art, usually being very simplistic. In the painting of Joan of Arc painted around 1450, Joan is represented as a hero. Through her strong gaze and her armor, Joan of Arc would be recognized as a hero by anyone, no matter if they knew anything about her at all. Continually, the painter used aspects from Greek and Roman art such as giving the hands of Joan shape and form. Secondly, the term “Dark Ages” should not be used to describe the Middle Ages because of the literature. In medieval Japan, a book named Kokin Wakashū was published between the years of 897CE-930CE. It was a collection of about 1,000 poems that were popular from poets throughout the country. If the term “Dark Ages” was true, then there couldn’t be a book published because learning was considered obsolete. Furthermore, a page of the book was pictured and the writing was careful and beautiful, and the pages had a background with intricate designs that

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In the 1300s, Petrarch, an Italian scholar who coined the term "dark age" after the all of Rome during the 500s through the 1500s because he thought it was a chaotic time.(Movie Talk "dark age") The "dark age" took place during all the Crusades. This did help make population smaller and it did increase food supply. This illustrates that Europe was not in a "dark age" as it will be explained. Europe was not in a "dark age" really and it did improve Europe's food and population grew bigger which meant more farming.

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In a time in European history, there was an era from the 5th to the 15th century known as the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages can often be referred to as the “Medieval period”, where buildings looked gloomy as they were made from gray cobblestone, and mankind was still in any idea of innovation, as they had no inspiration. Then during the 14th century, philosophy, art, and music were made exclusive, and became to some degree inspirational. Little did anyone know that was the beginning of a new era known as the Renaissance. Which was slowly but surely building a bridge which would lead the Middle Ages to the Modern Era.

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Was Europe in a "dark age" during the 500 to 1500? The term came from an Italian scholar named Petrarch. The time period had universities, education, a lot of food, population, the Magna Carta, black death, the decline in trade, and a lot of chaos (dark ages). While Europe had a lot of up's and down's, Europe was in a "dark age" during the 500 to 1500 time period. Europe was not in a "dark age" because there was a lot of growth in Europe.

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The first reason the Dark Ages were not as dark as the name claims for them to be, is because during the Dark Ages there were tons of advances in education. The information in Doc A that claims “Europe suffered a decline in commerce and manufacturing, in education, in literature and the arts and in almost all that makes possible a high civilization.” is completely biased. And that the Dark Ages “Did not support learning” (Background Information) which is completely untrue. During the Dark Ages, there were still people learning and teaching. One of them being a monk named Richer, who “went to the town of Chartres, in what is today France, to study.”

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Europe in Dark Age Before you say “Europe was never in a dark age.” think of the middle ages right after the fall of Rome, in The Crusades or The Black Death. These are just examples of why Europe was in a dark age. The phrase dark age means unsightly and dreadful, the term comes from Francesco Petrarch, he was an Italian scholar who compared Europe to Asia. The dark ages lasted 500 AD to 1500 AD.

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The Dark Ages fully represents the Middle Ages due to the fact that this time was filled with destruction that nearly caused the decline of the empire. To start, the Dark Ages

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The Middle Ages was a dark time period. It was dark because education and culture were beginning to decline drastically. This is evident in document #1. As it states,”Europe suffered a decline in commerce and manufacturing, in education, in literature and the arts, and in almost all that makes possible a high civilization”. This detail demonstrates that the decline in education caused the civilizations to not reach their best potential and education began to become really rare to find as it was only accessible/available in Churches.

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In the 1300's, an Italian scholar named Petrach used the term "dark ages" to describe the medieval period (Movie Talk: The Dark Ages). Petrach applied the "dark" and "light" terms to learning. Petrach believed that the Romans and Ancient Greeks were in the "light" of learning. The following period, the middle ages, was in the "dark''. Ever since he used the term, historians have been debating whether the time period between the 500's and the 1500's were really a "dark age.

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The term dark ages means to be in a time of war, isolation, and sickness, and was first coined by the Petrarch of Italy by comparing it to Rome, the most powerful, wealthy empire known to Europe. During the time of 500 AD through 1500 AD, Europe was in a time of disease, chaos, war and instability. On one hand, people argue that Europe was in a Dark Age, but on the other hand, some historians oppose the idea that Europe was in a growth age. Our own belief is that Europe was in a Dark Age.

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The Medieval Ages were a time where many things like romance, art, music, poetry, disease and death all thrived. Everyone in this time period had a different point of view on it. Some thought it was a golden age, some thought it was an age of feudalism, and some also thought it was a dark age. Yes, this time may have had its ups, but it also had many, many downs. Its darkest times consisted of Barbarian invasions, death, and wars.

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This is true, but medieval culture was restricted to the church, such as the pope and clergy (Doc 11). What came out of the medieval period was good but the period itself was more dark than golden. In conclusion, the three best labels are the Golden Age, the Age of Faith, and the Dark Ages. However, the best label out of the three is the Dark Ages because of the death, corruption, failure, and the invasions.

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The Dark Ages consisted of invasion, and loss of trade and government. “The barbarians have broken through the ramparts. The Saracen [Moors] invasions have spread in successive waves over the South. There is no longer any trade, only unceasing terror...society has no longer any government,” (Doc. 1). These problems led to the decline and therefore this period of time was named the Dark Ages.

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In the History Channel's documentary "The Dark Ages", the Early Middle Ages is portrayed in many ways that aren't consistent with actual history. The History Channel portrays the Early Middle Ages as The Dark Ages. The Early Middle Ages was not the actual Dark Ages because, the real Dark Ages was in Greece in 1100-759 B.C.E. when Greece collapsed. However, History Channel's, "The Dark Ages" was supposed to be around 500-1000 C.E. History Channel makes The Early Middle Ages appear as a gloomy, dark, "hellish" time. I'm class we discuss how The Early Middle Ages was a time of art, development, and education.

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