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The concept of a Dark Age was introduced by http://wiki.answers.com/wiki/Petrarch in the 1330s. Writing of those who had come before him, he said, "Amidst the errors there shone forth men of genius, no less keen were their eyes, although they were surrounded by darkness and dense gloom." Christian writers had traditional metaphors of "http://wiki.answers.com/wiki/Light_versus_darkness" to describe "good versus evil." Petrarch was the first to co-opt the metaphor and give it secular meaning by reversing its application. Classical Antiquity, so long considered the "dark" age for its lack of Christianity, was now seen by Petrarch as the age of "light" because of its cultural achievements, while Petrarch's time, lacking such cultural achievements, was seen as the age of darkness. As an Italian, Petrarch saw the http://wiki.answers.com/wiki/Roman_Empire and the classical period as expressions of Italian greatness. He spent much of his time traveling through Europe rediscovering and republishing classic http://wiki.answers.com/wiki/Latin and http://wiki.answers.com/wiki/Greek_language texts. He wanted to restore the classical Latin language to its former purity. http://wiki.answers.com/wiki/Renaissance_humanism saw the preceding 900-year period as a time of stagnation. They saw history unfolding, not along the religious outline of http://wiki.answers.com/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo's http://wiki.answers.com/wiki/Six_Ages_of_the_World, but in cultural (or secular) terms through the progressive developments of classical ideals, literature, and art. Petrarch wrote that history had had two periods: the http://wiki.answers.com/wiki/Classical_antiquity period of the Greeks and Romans, followed by a time of darkness, in which he saw himself as still living. Humanists believed one day the Roman Empire would rise again and restore classic cultural purity, and so by the late 14th and early 15th century, humanists such as http://wiki.answers.com/wiki/Leonardo_Bruni believed they had attained this new age, and that a third, http://wiki.answers.com/wiki/Modern_Age had begun. The age before their own, which Petrarch had labeled dark, thus became a "middle" age between the classic and the modern. The first use of the term "Middle Age" appeared with http://wiki.answers.com/wiki/Flavio_Biondo around 1439. In other words, it was a dark period in human history.
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoThe phrase comes from Protestant historians, especially Henry Hallam (1777-1859). He used it the refer to the Middle Ages (476-1453) and argued that the Catholic Church restricted progress in this period. Modern historians use the phrase to refer to the Early Middle Ages (476-1000). There was population decline and deurbanization during this period, possibly connected to a global decline in temperature and consequent decline in agricultural productivity.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoThe term "Dark Ages" has been obsolete and out of use since the 1970s. No historian ever uses that term any more. It was never used to describe the whole of the Middle Ages - that is an entirely false idea.
It used to be applied to the period between the collapse of the western Roman Empire and 1066, on the basis that so little was known about that era (due to an acute shortage of documentary and archaeological evidence) that it was "dark" in the sense of mysterious and unknown.
After the mid-1970s more intensive and scientific archaeological techniques meant that more information on the period became available, more finds were made and better knowledge of the period became widespread. The period then became known as the Saxon/Viking era.
Up until very recently this Saxon/Viking era was not included with the Middle Ages, but was treated as completely separate - in Scandinavian countries (where the Vikings originated) it still is so treated today. Today it has become fashionable to include the Saxon/Viking era with the medieval period - some people use the term "Early Medieval".
Many historians, however, still begin the medieval era in 1066 and treat the Saxon/Viking period as separate; others begin the medieval period with the collapse of the western Roman Empire. There is definitely no agreement on this point.
But there is agreement that "Dark Ages" is a term long abandoned and forgotten.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoBecause it was the fall of the Roman empire due to the conflict between the king and the pope. Religious tolerance was not present and
Wiki User
∙ 15y agoThe period before the fall of the Roman Empire is called Ancient Times. The period since the exploration of the Western Hemisphere began is called Modern Times. The rest is in the middle.
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What is another name for medievil?
MediEvil is a video game featuring an undead knight. This category is for the Middle Ages, which is also known as "medieval".
What occurrence was considered at the end of the roman empire and the beginning of the dark ages?
The event which historians consider as marking the end of the western part of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Middle Ages (not dark ages) is the deposition of Romulus Augustus, the last emperor of the western part of the empire in 476.
What was the era before the dark ages?
The Renaissance time period came after the Dark Ages. ----- It seems most people who use the term Dark Ages are talking about the Early Middle Ages, which is a period from about 450 AD to 1000 AD. They call the following period the Middle Ages. Some people would have the Dark Ages coincide with the Age of Migration, from about 300 to 700, and this would mean it was followed by the second half of the Early Middle Ages, which began with a time called the Carolingian Renaissance. Other people would have the Dark Ages be equal to the entire Middle Ages, so it would be followed by the European Renaissance. I think most historians do not use the term Dark Ages.
Were the benadictine monks the most popular in the dark ages?
The term "Dark Ages" is no longer used among historians; the period is today known as the Saxon/Viking era.During this time the Benedictine Order was the only order of monks in western Europe, so popular or not, that's all there was.
When did the dark ages begin in Europe?
It might be safest to say the Dark Ages lasted from the 5th century to the 10th century. The term Dark Ages is not really clearly defined, and in fact has fallen from use quite a bit. Originally, the idea of an age of obscurity was used to describe the period after the fall of the West Roman Empire. At the time the concept of Dark Ages was first described, in about 1330, the Renaissance had not yet started, and the writer, Petrarch, regarded himself as living in the dark ages. Later writers regarded the Dark Ages as the time from the fall of the West Roman Empire to the Renaissance, and so dated them identically with the Middle Ages, from the 5th century to the 15th. During the 19th century, historians came to understand the the Middle Ages had a lot going on, too much to be called Dark, in the sense of decline or decay. They began to make the time equal to those parts of the Middle Ages when there was little written, meaning the time of the 5th through 10th centuries. This idea had already been around for some time. Under this scheme, the Middle Ages were between the Dark Ages and the Renaissance. The idea that the Carolingian Renaissance and Macedonian Renaissance, with their growth of culture and education, happened during a time of decay and decline, seems to fly in the face of logic. So many historians refer to the time from the 5th to 10th centuries as the Early Middle Ages instead of Dark Ages. Under this scheme, the term is not used at all. There have been people who had different, specific ideas of what the Dark Ages were.
Why do historians call the dark ages as a period when Europe slept?
at that time nothing was happening meaning no invetions, no massive wars
Why do some historians feel the dark ages does not accurate depict the era it refers to?
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During what years did the middle ages occur?
Different groups of people have different ideas about the Middle Ages. Today, probably a majority of historians have the Middle Ages lasting from the 5th century to the 15th century. Some historians call the first half of that time the Dark Ages, and have the Middle Ages lasting from the 11th century to the 15th.
What is another name for medievil?
MediEvil is a video game featuring an undead knight. This category is for the Middle Ages, which is also known as "medieval".
Did William rule during the renaissance or the dark ages?
He gained his crown in 1066 which is the start of the middle ages ( what you call the "dark ages").
The dark ages began with the collapse of what country?
With the collapse of the Western part of the Roman Empire in AD 476. However, professional historians generally avoid the term Dark Ages.
Who is the leader of the Catholic Church in Dark Ages?
There were no Dark Ages in the Catholic Church, and as of the late 20th century, secular historians have come to recognize that there really was no Dark Age, and that this label was just one of ignorance of earlier historians. You will need to reword your question.
Why do most historians prefer not to use the term dark ages?
Many historians discourage the use of the term because it creates an inaccurate impression of the conditions of the time. To many people, the term "dark" implies chaos, ignorance, or despair. But within the so-called Dark Ages, there was significant cultural achievement. This clearly happened at times in the Byzantine Empire and during the periods in the West known as the Carolingian Renaissance and the Ottonian Renaissance, but it was not limited to these. The use of the term "dark" tends to focus our attention on the most negative aspects of the period, obscure important facts, and promote misunderstanding. It is probably better to call the time the Early Middle Ages.
What was after the dark ages?
What came after the Dark Ages was the Carolingian Renaissance, the High Middle Ages, or the European Renaissance, depending on your point of view. It seems most who use the term date it from about 450 to 1000 AD. Some give precise dates in 476 to 1066 AD. I have seen the term Dark Ages used to refer to the Age of Migrations, about 300 AD to 700 AD. There was a collapse in learning in the Roman Empire during the time of about 230 AD, and the Carolingian Renaissance began shortly after 700 AD, so this might be a better time to call the Dark Ages. Some historians call the Dark Ages equal to the Middle Ages, but the people of the Middle Ages used the term to refer to an earlier time in the Middle Ages. Also, the period of the Middle Ages after about 700 AD included several times of advanced intellectual activity, so this usage seems wrong in some ways.
What occurrence was considered at the end of the roman empire and the beginning of the dark ages?
The event which historians consider as marking the end of the western part of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Middle Ages (not dark ages) is the deposition of Romulus Augustus, the last emperor of the western part of the empire in 476.
Which of these time periods was characterized by a low of learning and culture in Europe?
During the Dark Ages.
What are periods and how are they used to divide world history by historians?
The periods used to divide world history by historians are the Middle Ages, Late Middle Ages, Dark Ages, Stone Age, Iron Age, Bronze Age, pre-war, post-war, and many others to mark events, prehistory, and notable periods.
