OPTIONAL Final Essay-Nathan Edouard
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Northern Virginia Community College *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
112
Subject
History
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
Pages
4
Uploaded by ChefFangOtter45
Nathan Edouard
History 101-005N: Western Civilization I (Spring 2023
Professor Nicholas Bomba
OPTIONAL Final Essay
To begin after the fall of the roman empire the one-thousand-year period between the fall
of the roman empire and the Renaissance is often called the “Dark Ages”. This time has also
been referred to as the Middle Ages by some historians. In recent years the idea of this time
being called the “Dark Ages” has been challenged by many historians claiming that this is not an
accurate or appropriate name for this period. This time was labeled as the “Dark Ages” because
of the so-called lack of cultural development and the lack of progress as a whole throughout this
one-thousand-year period. Although many people believe that the “Dark Ages” is an accurate
name to represent this period, Nevertheless the “Dark Ages” is not exactly an accurate
representation of this time because it hints at the fact that there was not any improvement in that
period which is simply not the case. Calling this period the “Dark Ages” is way too simple, that
doesn't do this time enough justice on what actual progress was made during this time. I intend to
show how the name “Dark Ages” was often overlooked by historians and Renaissance thinkers
and I intend to show how this term is an oversimplification of this period. One of the reasons why I've seen that this time is called the “Dark Ages” is because of the
lack of development at this time and the lack of cultural progress. This exert from the textbook
Volume 1, Chapter 13: Early Medieval Europe says “After the fall of the western Roman empire,
it was the Church that united Western Europe and provided a sense of European identity. That
religious tradition would persist and spread, ultimately extinguishing the so-called “pagan”
religions, despite the political fragmentation left in the wake of the fall of Rome. The one thing
that nearly all Europeans eventually came to share was membership in the Latin Church”. This
shows that despite being in a somewhat dark time that most of the European countries agreed on
one thing, being having a membership to the Latin church. Therefore this would show that
despite being in a dark time the European countries still came together to agree upon something. For more reference here is another quote from the same source volume 1, Chapter 13:
Early Medieval Europe says “Roughly 1,000 years separated the fall of Rome and the beginning
of the Renaissance, the period of “rebirth” in which certain Europeans believed they were
recapturing the lost glory of the classical world. Historians have long since dismissed the conceit
that the Middle Ages were nothing more than the “Dark Ages” so maligned by Renaissance
thinkers”. This shows that historians don't necessarily agree with the term “Dark Ages” for this
time period. Therefore this would show why the term “Dark Ages” isn't exactly the most
appropriate term to describe this period of time in human history. As I said before one of the reasons for this period being called the “Dark Ages” is that
there wasn't progress Intellectually and culturally. In the textbook Volume 2, Chapter 1: The High
Middle Ages it says that “Despite the biases of later Renaissance thinkers that the medieval
period was nothing but the “dark ages,” bereft of learning and culture, there were very important
intellectual achievements in the period of 1000 – 1400 CE. Most of these had to do with foreign
influences that were taken and reshaped by European thinkers, from the ancient Greeks and
Romans to innovations originating in the Islamic empires to the south and east of Europe”.This
quote shows that there was cultural development in this time period before the renaissance and
that the so-called “Dark Ages” is a negative term to describe this time. Therefore this would
show and explain why the reasons for this time period being called the “Dark Ages” is not
exactly appropriate. Lastly, this time has been called the “Dark Ages” mostly because of what came after it. It
is easy to call this time the “Dark Ages” when something like the Renaissance came after it. In
the textbook Volume 2, Chapter 3: The Renaissance says “Petrarch was responsible for coming
up with the very idea of the “Dark Ages” that had separated his own era from the greatness of the
classical past. His own poetry and writings became so popular among other educated people that
he deserves a great deal of personal credit for sparking the Renaissance itself; following
Petrarch, the idea that the classical world might be “reborn” in northern Italy acquired a great
deal of popularity and cultural force.”This shows that the “Dark Ages” was constructed by
Renaissance thinkers of the time to separate the Renaissance from what they thought was the
“Dark Ages”. Therefore this shows how the term the “Dark Ages” isn't an accurate description of
this time but a term used to separate this time for the rebirth that the relevance. This is another quote from the textbook Volume 2, Chapter 3: The Renaissance that says
“The Renaissance is justly famous for its achievements in art and learning, and even though
some of its thinkers were somewhat conceited and off-base in dismissing the prior thousand
years or so as being nothing but the “Dark Ages,” it is still the case that the Renaissance was
enormously fruitful in terms of intellectual production and creation.”This shows that some of the
renaissance thinkers were arrogant and incorrect to label the last one-thousand years the “Dark
Ages”. Therefore this shows why the name “Dark Ages” isn't an accurate term to describe this
time. In Conclusion with many historians and scholars questioning the name of this time. It
shows that while the name the Patriarch had put forward is not entirely wrong, but the
connotation of the name doesn't accurately depict the progress that was made at this time. I think
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
the evidence that I put forth is that though calling this time the “Dark Ages” isn't necessarily
wrong it's not a fully accurate name for this one-thousand-year period.
Word count - 1022