DARK AGES 2015

Time Line: Dark Ages and Middle Ages  Important Events of the Middle Ages  Constantine became Emperor of the Roman Empire.  Vandals sacked Rome.  Fall of the Roman Empire.  Clovis became King of the Franks.  Birth of Muhammad.  Battle of Tours.  Charlemagne is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.  Alfred, King of England, defeats Danish invaders.  Christianity reaches Russia.  William of Normandy conquers England.  First Crusade to the Holy Land.  Genghis Khan founds the Mongol Empire.  Start of Hundred Years' War between France and England.  Black Death (plague) in Europe.

POWER VACUUM  The end of the Roman Empire in 476AD, created a political and economic vacuum that resulted in the suppression of democratic ideas and institutions.

POWER VACUUM  From 500AD to 1000AD, referred to as the Dark Ages or the Early Middle Ages. Europe was broken into smaller kingdoms, that with a few exceptions, were unstable and short-lived. Thus with the exception of the Holy Roman Empire, power was balkanized and the multi-facetted developments of classical Mediterranean society were suppressed.

ROLE OF THE CHURCH  The Roman Catholic Church became the dominant source of power in Western Europe during the Dark Ages. The power of the Church extended to all aspects of society and set the stage for its prominent role during the Middle Ages and beyond.  Political  Economic  Social

ABSENCE OF DEMOCRACY  The period is marked by an absence of a “democratic infrastructure”  Security: Waves upon waves of barbarian tribes, Arabs taking Spain 711AD and Vikings in England and France 793AD  Education was limited to the Church  Laws and courts were localized and based on the needs and wishes of the powerful  Economically, trade and commerce was sharply reduced  Power was concentrated in the hands of the few

DEVELOPMENTS  Society begins to re-organize about 800A.D.  Agricultural developments take place  Attempts under the Franks are made to re- unite Europe occur

EDUCATION  With the fall of the Western Roman Empire formal education was greatly diminished and restricted to the only existing Western institution: the Roman Catholic Church. Yet the Byzantine Empire and Islam world experienced growth and expansion of classical learning.

CONCLUSION  By the beginning of the 2 nd millennium Europe had endured the horrors of the Early Middle Ages and began a new period that was structured under a new system overarching system: feudalism.