How dark was Europe’s Dark Ages?

Although history continues along a continuum, historians examine the changes by dividing it into different periods.

History is generally divided into three periods. Ancient, Medieval and Modern, but the time difference between the three cannot be determined. The three periods are presented in different ways in different cultures of the world.

In the civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece, the status of the ancient era is that of cultural superiority. The Middle Ages is the glorious period of Muslim history, while European civilization has advanced in modern history.

Until the 15th century, the history of Europe falls into the realm of the Middle Ages. The church was very dominant in it. Therefore, when the era of Renaissance came, its scholars needed new civilization and new sciences for development.

They themselves and their previous generations had been subject to the strictures and practices of the Church, so they did not see any way to progress in their medieval age.

This is why Renaissance scholars, including the famous poet Francesco Petrarca (d. 1374), called the Middle Ages a ‘dark age’ that had nothing to offer to later generations.

This view of the Middle Ages was popular among historians for a long time, but as in history, no opinion is authoritative. Historical events are viewed differently in the light of new material, so the Romantic period changed the perception of the Middle Ages and historians consider it to be an important period in history.

New research on the Middle Ages is currently being conducted in universities in America and Europe, which proves that many modern institutions and traditions are continuations of the Middle Ages.

Church dominance

The influence of the Church in the Middle Ages was profound. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the city of Rome was under the control of the Pope. It wanted to unite Christendom as one unit. His spiritual status was so established that his orders were obeyed throughout Christendom.

During this period the Church also had the right to appoint or dethrone the rulers of Europe. Also the universities of Europe, including Padua, Pisa, Paris, Krakow were under the Church. Their curriculum was theological, and St. Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274) even converted Aristotelian philosophy into the Christian faith, which was an important part of the university curriculum.

It was the effort of the Catholic Church to keep the entire Christendom united so that it could maintain its existence based on power and force, so no country had an independent status. Church officials were chosen not by the will of the king but by the will of the Pope. It ended regional history and independence.

It was the policy of the Church that if a new religious sect arose, it was strictly suppressed for the sake of unity. There was no room for philosophy in the field of education. In its place, belief was protected through theology. Since Christianity wanted to convert people through preaching, the scholars of the church made translations of Greek and Arabic books.

The Holy Quran was translated into Latin during this period. The aim was to gather arguments against paganism and Islam. An encyclopedia type book was also prepared by collecting all types of knowledge. Although there were Roman laws in the society, religious laws were more followed.

In the Middle Ages, not all of Europe was Christianized, but the missionaries Christianized the Viking-Goth and Visigoth nations through their efforts, which led to the domination of Christianity over almost all of Europe (except Andalusia). .

Churches were built in the Gothic style to express religious devotion. Inside the church, the window panes had tints that blocked the sunlight. Bible stories were painted on the walls of the church, so that the majority of the people who were illiterate.

May religious devotion be developed in them through these paintings. Statues of saints were carved in the corners of the church, so the church had an atmosphere that evoked feelings of devotion among the people.

The Crusades

The Church fought the Crusades from the 11th to the 13th century to increase its influence and power, to liberate Jerusalem from the Muslims. These wars greatly stirred up religious fervor in European Christendom. After the capture of Bait al-Maqdis, two armed parties were born.

One of them was the Hospitallers and the other the Templars. Their purpose was to protect the Christian pilgrims who came to Jerusalem. The Crusades came to an end when Saladin Ayyubi captured Jerusalem in 1187 and expelled the Crusaders.

Three classes

The Middle Ages was a world of warriors (knights), so warriors were held in high esteem. In these circumstances, the class of warriors came into being. These were professional fighters. Each knight had his own guild to which he was subject. They adhered to moral values.

He used to fulfill his promise and protection of the weak was his motto. Tournaments were held for knights to compete with each other. One such tournament is described by Walter Scott in his novel Ivanhoe.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, a class of feudal lords or feudal lords emerged in Europe. These feudal lords lived in their own built castles. He used to have his own thoughts. Members of the noble class used to swear allegiance to him through a ritual.

These people were called farmers or vassals. They fought wars on behalf of their feudal lords, in return the lords gave them fiefs as compensation.

Apart from this, another class was called serf. These were the peasants who were not allowed to leave the land, as if they were a kind of slaves.

Cities were sparsely populated at that time, but seeing the importance of trade, European rulers gave charters to merchants to settle cities, and merchants also levied taxes to manage the city and keep the city clean.

Gradually, the population of the cities grew, which led to the emergence of a new class of artisans. New buildings were built for the growth of cities and art and literature also flourished. The activities of the cities gave a new civilization to the Middle Ages.

Because Renaissance scholars called the Middle Ages dark because of the dominance of the Church, church historians have defined the Middle Ages by rejecting the argument that people were bound by faith. Religion gave them spiritual peace and satisfaction.

He was not entangled in worldly desires and lived a simple peaceful life.