How valid is the view of Medieval Europe as a 'Dark Age'? (PDF)

Essay from the year 2005 in the subject History Europe - Other Countries - Middle Ages, Early Modern Age, grade: High Distinction, University of New England (Australia), language: English, abstract: Nowadays, when the people think about the Middle Ages, names like Joan of Arc,
Nostradamus, Richard the Lionheart, William the Conqueror, King Arthur, and Robin Hood
immediately spring to mind. Chivalry, magic, romance, adventure, superstition, and torture
are the first characteristics they come up with and events they associate with it are the
Crusades, the Hundred Years War, witchcraft trials, and the spread of the Black Death. As the
modern view of the Middle Ages is biased by novels and the latest Hollywood movies, in
general, the perception of it as a time of glorious battles and brave knights dominates. The age
is glorified in annual festivals like knight games and bard contests, partly because this is more
attractive and partly because the inconvenience of everyday life then can hardly be imagined
by people enjoying today's living standards. This has not always been the case, yet. The term
Middle Ages indicates what Italian humanists of the Renaissance think about that time. They
see it as a mere interim between the greatness of the Antiquity and its revival in the
Renaissance.1 Furthermore, this episode is often referred to as the Dark Age, an expression
introduced by Petrarch in the 1330s and later used to criticise the lack of cultural
achievements during that period of time.2 The question, how valid this view is concerning
Medieval Europe, forms the centre of the following explanations. To answer it, the paper
follows the common distinction between the Early Middle Ages (500-1050), the High Middle
Ages (1050 to 1250), and the Late Middle Ages (1250-1500)3. After talking about each phase
separately, it brings findings together in a conclusion answering the initial question. Due to
the limits of this essay, it will deal with the question from an economic point of view
exclusively. 1 See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Ages#Periodization_issues. 2 See www.answers.com/topic/dark_ages. 3 See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Ages#Periodization_issues.