The Early Middle Ages in Western Europe

Between historians used to call the centuries from 500 to 1000 by the name still generally used for the centuries between 1100 and 800 B.C.: the Dark Ages. This suggests a gloomy barbarian interruption between a bright classical flowering and a later bright recovery or rebirth (Renaissance). But today historians prefer the more neutral term early Middle Ages, for they have come to believe that “dark” is a misleading exaggeration.

Middle Ages accurately enough suggests a time lying between the ancient and the modern world, and the adjective medieval—meaning of the middle age—is in general use. Obviously, these terms—medieval, modern—are words we use about ourselves; that is, we naturally perceive historical chronology in relation to our own times. Thus there is much debate over when medieval history ends and modern history begins.