Dark Ages
Dark Ages
The Dark Ages is a historical period used originally for the Middle Ages, which emphasizes the cultural and economic deterioration that occurred in Western Europe following the fall of the Roman Empire. The period is characterized by a relative scarcity of historical and other written records at least for some areas of Europe, rendering it obscure to historians. The term "Dark Age" derives from the Latin word “saeculum obscurum”, originally said by Caesar Baronius in 1602 to a tumultuous period in the 10th and 11th centuries. The word "Dark Ages" originally was intended to denote the entire period between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance, the term "Middle Ages" has a similar meaning, being an intermediate period between Classical Antiquity and the Modern era. In the 19th century scholars began to recognize the accomplishments made during the period, thereby saying the image of the Middle Ages were a time of darkness and decay. Now the term is not used by scholars to refer to the entire medieval period, when it is used it is generally restricted to the Early Middle Ages. The rise of archaeology and other specialties in the 20th century has shed much light on the period and offered a more understanding of its positive developments. When modern scholarly study of the Middle Ages arose in the 19th century, the term "Dark Ages" was at first kept, with all its critical overtones. On the rare occasions when the term "Dark Ages" is used by historians today, it is intended to be neutral, namely, to express the idea that the events of the period often seem "dark" because of the scarcity of artistic and cultural output. Toward the end of the 11th century, the Catholic Church began to authorize military expeditions, or Crusades, to expel Muslim “infidels” from the Holy Land. Crusaders, who wore red crosses on their coats to advertise their status, believed that their service would guarantee the remission of their sins and ensure that they could spend all
The Dark Ages is a historical period used originally for the Middle Ages, which emphasizes the cultural and economic deterioration that occurred in Western Europe following the fall of the Roman Empire. The period is characterized by a relative scarcity of historical and other written records at least for some areas of Europe, rendering it obscure to historians. The term "Dark Age" derives from the Latin word “saeculum obscurum”, originally said by Caesar Baronius in 1602 to a tumultuous period in the 10th and 11th centuries. The word "Dark Ages" originally was intended to denote the entire period between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance, the term "Middle Ages" has a similar meaning, being an intermediate period between Classical Antiquity and the Modern era. In the 19th century scholars began to recognize the accomplishments made during the period, thereby saying the image of the Middle Ages were a time of darkness and decay. Now the term is not used by scholars to refer to the entire medieval period, when it is used it is generally restricted to the Early Middle Ages. The rise of archaeology and other specialties in the 20th century has shed much light on the period and offered a more understanding of its positive developments. When modern scholarly study of the Middle Ages arose in the 19th century, the term "Dark Ages" was at first kept, with all its critical overtones. On the rare occasions when the term "Dark Ages" is used by historians today, it is intended to be neutral, namely, to express the idea that the events of the period often seem "dark" because of the scarcity of artistic and cultural output. Toward the end of the 11th century, the Catholic Church began to authorize military expeditions, or Crusades, to expel Muslim “infidels” from the Holy Land. Crusaders, who wore red crosses on their coats to advertise their status, believed that their service would guarantee the remission of their sins and ensure that they could spend all