The Middle ages lasted from the 5th all the way to the 15th century in Europe. The beginning of the Middle Ages is marked with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the end of the Middle Ages by the rise of the humanism idea in North Italy, known as Renaissance.
The Middle Ages is usually split into three different periods:
The First period is the end of the Roman Empire and the invasion of the Barbarians who created their own kingdom on the ruins of the Western Roman Empire. At the same time and later during the 7th Century, territories of the formerly Eastern Empire were conquered by the Islamic Empire.
The Second period is known as High Middle Ages which started around 1000 AD. It was marked with the growth of the population in Europe, and with new society form-Feudalism. Also the first ideas of the Crusades were introduced; it was an attempt of the Christians to regain the power over the Middle East and the Holy Land.
The Late Middle Ages was probably the worst period of the Middle Ages regarding the overall health situation in Europe. Indeed, the Black Death, killed a 3rd of the population in Europe. It was one of the reasons the rulers turned their back to the Catholic Church and decided to adopt the new Humanistic ideas of Renaissance. With the end of the Middle Ages came the Early Modern period.
Articles in this section:
In a time dominated by the Church, troubadours became well-known secular entertainers moving beyond religious themes and exploring love and politics. Troubadours rose to prominence in the High Middle Ages, which is generally considered to be 1100-1350; however, a majority of the surviving works date to what is referred to as the classical period (1180-1220). … Read more
Vassals in the Middle ages were those who held the land, called a fief, and owed service and allegiance to the lord who granted them that land. The vassal was usually a knight or a baron, but could also be a member of the clergy or a trusted member of nobility. Vassals in the Middle … Read more
Middle Ages Vikings usually meant Norse explorers, merchants, warriors or pirates. Vikings were known to trade, explore, raid and settle across Europe, Asia and islands in the North Atlantic from the late 900s AD to the mid-1200s AD. Vikings are often misrepresented or misremembered as larger than life figures, or killing machines that terrorized their … Read more
Contrary to the romanticized modern day depiction, the middle ages were quite a difficult and mundane time for the ordinary villager. Village life in the Middle Ages was marked by days that generally involved toiling in the fields and an occasional village celebration where both the lords and peasant would take a break from their … Read more
The Middle Ages were fraught with frequent wars and battles and weapons were extremely valuable for success in these campaigns. Using limited technology it was possible to create a wide range of weapons and defensive gear for knights and soldiers. Tournaments and sporting events served as important training practice for many aspects of a military … Read more
Witchcraft in the Middle Ages was a controversial crime that was equally punishable to poisoning. If one was accused of witchcraft, the charges could be dropped by a relative’s defense in a trial by combat, or by twelve people swearing an oath of the accused’s innocence. In the case of a relative defending the accused, … Read more
In order to best describe the role and position of women in the Middle Ages, it is first necessary to look at social standing of the women. In general, women at this point were considered inferior to men and their duties were primarily confined to the home and family life. A number of women, however, … Read more
When you consider how far the development of medicine has gone just in your lifetime it can be rather difficult to imagine what life might have been like for those in the medical field during the Middle Ages. Doctors in the Middle Ages knew little of the origination for the ailments that they were trying … Read more
The Crusades in the middle ages were a series of wars that the Christians of Europe launched against the Saracens. Saracens was a term that the Crusaders used to describe a Muslim. The Crusades began in 1905 prompted by Pope Claremont’s declaration at the Council of Claremont, which called for Christians across Europe to wage … Read more
Charlemagne, who was also known as Charles I, was the ruler of the Franks from 768 to 800. He then became the Emperor of Romans in the year 800 and ruled till his death on January 28th 814. The Frank kingdom grew leaps and bounds during the reign of Charlemagne and he expanded his empire … Read more
