 The Middle Ages, or Medieval Times, in Europe was a long period of history from 500 AD to 1500 AD. That's 1000 years! It covers the time from the fall of the Roman Empire to the rise of the Ottoman Empire. This was a time of castles and peasants, guilds and monasteries, cathedrals and crusades. Great leaders such as Joan of Arc and Charlemagne were part of the Middle Ages as well as major events such as the Black Plague and the rise of Islam.

 Middle Ages, Medieval Times, Dark Ages: What's the Difference? When people use the terms Medieval Times, Middle Ages, and Dark Ages they are generally referring to the same period of time. The Dark Ages is usually referring to the first half of the Middle Ages from 500 to 1000 AD. After the fall of the Roman Empire, a lot of the Roman culture and knowledge was lost. This included art, technology, engineering, and history. Historians know a lot about Europe during the Roman Empire because the Romans kept excellent records of all that happened. However, the time after the Romans is "dark" to historians because there was no central government recording events. This is why historians call this time the Dark Ages. Although the term Middle Ages covers the years between 500 and 1500 throughout the world, this timeline is based on events specifically in Europe during that time.

 The fall of the Roman Empire. Rome had ruled much of Europe. Now much of the land would fall into confusion as local kings and rulers tried to grab power. This is the start of the Dark Ages or the Middle Ages.  Clovis becomes King of the Franks. Clovis united most of the Frankish tribes that were part of Roman Province of Gaul.  Muhammad, prophet of Islam is born.  Battle of Tours. The Franks defeat the Muslims turning back Islam from Europe.  Charlemagne, King of the Franks, is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. Charlemagne united much of Western Europe and is considered the father of both the French and the German Monarchies.  Vikings from the Scandinavian lands (Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) begin to invade northern Europe. They would continue until  Alfred the Great, King of England, turns back the Viking invaders.  William of Normandy, a French Duke, conquers England in the Battle of Hastings. He became King of England and changed the country forever.

 Start of the First Crusade. The Crusades were wars between the Holy Roman Empire and the Muslims over the Holy Land. There would be several Crusades over the next 200 years.  Richard I, Richard the Lionheart, becomes King of England.  The Mongol Empire is founded by Genghis Khan.Genghis Khan  King John of England signs the Magna Carta. This document gave the people some rights and said the king was not above the law.Magna Carta  Marco Polo leaves on his famous journey to explore Asia.  The Hundred Years War begins between England and France for control of the French throne.  The Black Death begins in Europe. This horrible disease would kill around half of the people in Europe.  French heroine Joan of Arc is executed by England at the age of 19.French heroine Joan of Arc  German inventor Johannes Gutenberg invents the printing press. This will signal the start of the Renaissance.Renaissance  The Ottoman Empire captures the city of Constantinople. This signals the end of the Eastern Roman Empire also known as Byzantium.  Leonardo Da Vinci paints "The Last Supper."Leonardo Da Vinci

 Based on what you know, it should not be a surprise that most early medieval literature was written in Latin. Latin was the language (both spoken and written) of the educated during the Early Middle Ages, and most of these educated people happened to be monks.   Texts were translated and written by hand (often in poor lighting) by monks who filled pages with words and complicated illustrations. Most, if not all, books were written by hand over long periods of time, until a man named Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in the early 1400s and made everything much, much easier.  Books could be produced faster than before, though the letters had to be carefully arranged before being pressed to the page, and this too took quite a bit of time. But what tales and stories come from the medieval period?

 Textbooks were hard to come by, but one particularly well-known book of the early medieval period was the Ars Minor, a book written in Latin and copied over and over again for scholars learning grammar in monasteries. The Bible itself was also frequently used to teach those seeking an education, along with many other Latin texts about philosophy and logic and even where words came from (a study called “etymology”).  Other important works for the student—this time the medical student—were those by Galen, who wrote about the body, medicine, and hygiene. Medical students at universities relied on very old texts like these because, at the time, they offered the best knowledge of the human body and advice on how to take care of it.

 But what of stories and tales? A lot of them were told aloud, and passed from village to village in this manner. Those that were written down were often in the language spoken by the common people, and depending on the time period, this might have been Old or Middle English or even French. You see, people loved stories during the medieval days as much as we do, and over time, books began to be written not in the language of nobility or monks, but the language spoken most often by the people. Works such as Beowulf, which was an epic poem (in other words, a long tale in a certain style, usually about a hero and his journey) telling the story of the warrior Beowulf.  Beowulf helps a king, fights monsters (including a dragon), and the whole piece is written in Old English. Scholars have translated it for modern readers, so we are even able to read it today

 Other well-known stories in the form of poems and epics were The Song of Roland, based on a famous battle and written in Old French, Tristan and Iseult (sometimes spelled Tristan and Isolde), a romance about the love of a knight and a princess, and of course, fables. Many fables— even retellings of older fables—were popular throughout the medieval period. These were stories that were usually short and had a lesson in them, often about good behavior versus bad, right versus wrong, and patience versus impatience.  But perhaps the most beloved and widely-read tale from this time was (and continues to be) Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer decided to write these in the language spoken during his time (the 1400s), and so the entire work is written in Middle English. Middle English is still read by some today, but requires a lot of study.

 Words were spelled much differently and the language itself, when spoken aloud, sounded far off from the type of English we speak today. The tale contains many figures common to Chaucer’s time, and gives each of them a story. These characters include such figures as a knight, a merchant, a nun, a physician (or doctor), and even a cook. That’s only naming a few of the many characters found within The Canterbury Tales  So what have we learned about medieval literature? Originally it was all in Latin and used mostly in monasteries and churches, while tales were told aloud and passed around by the common people. Eventually, popular romances, fables, and epic poems were written in the language of everyday people, and one of the most well- known of these tales is Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Stories involved magic, monsters, lessons, and love. Doesn’t sound so different than what we read today, does it?