When were the Middle Ages?
According to the essay on Wikipedia:
“The Middle Ages are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christianity in the Reformation, the rise of humanism in the Italian Renaissance, and the beginnings of European overseas expansion. There is some variation in the dating of the edges of these periods which is due mainly to differences in specialization and focus of individual scholars.”
So when were the Dark Ages? The relevant essay on Wikipedia states:
“Dark Age or Dark Ages is a term in historiography referring to a period of cultural decline or societal collapse that supposedly took place in Western Europe between the fall of Rome and the eventual recovery of learning. The dating of the ‘Dark Ages’ has always been fluid, but the concept was originally intended to denote the entire period between the fall of Rome in the 5th century and the “Renaissance” or “rebirth” of classical values.”
So, in so far as the term is still used, the Dark Ages were the Early Middle Ages.
Now why do I ask these questions? It’s because I’ve just started reading a book entitled “Medieval Britain: A Very Short Introduction”. The term “medieval period” is often used synonymously with “Middle Ages”, but this book covers the period 1066-1485 which is the time period accorded to the High and Late Middle Ages.
Of course, all these terms are pretty arbitrary, but I suppose we have to divide history into some kind of periods. Maybe, if humankind lasts long enough, some future historian will suggest a new way of dividing history and our own period will be reclassified the Middle Ages.