At that time the term Middle Ages was meant as an insult, as a reference to a time of ignorance, a sort of "Dark Ages" that immediately preceded the Renaissance. Later historians, scholars, and archaeologists have proven these men wrong. The term Middle Ages, or medieval period, remains; but it now stands for a time rich in art, culture, architecture, and history.
Here are your goals for this lesson:
Explain why dates for the beginning and end of the Middle Ages cannot be clearly established
Distinguish between the various Germanic tribes and kingdoms
Recognize the role of the Germanic kingdoms in the decline of the Roman Empire
comitatus | In the Germanic system, the relationship between a leader and his warriors, or a king and his lord. |
compensation | Payment for crime committed. It was given to the victim's family by the offender, also known as wergild. |
nomad | A person or tribe that moves from place to place, usually to find food or pasture for cattle. |
witan | Council of a German king. |
History is a record of people and events from the past, a record of the life of humanity on earth. Because history is a record of man, it cannot be separated into neat categories as you would divide a pie into eight perfectly even segments. The history of man is much more complex.
Nothing that happens affects only itself. Every event and every person fits into a complex pattern of events which form the large picture of the history of the world. Certain major events, certain important people stand out; but these men and events are linked to the rest of mankind and to the historical setting in which they lived.
Historians try to divide history into neat, well defined periods of time. They will divide world history, for example, into the Ancient World, the Classical World, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and so on, until they reach the present day. Few of them, however, will agree on the precise dates for the beginning and the end of any of these time periods. The reason for this lack of agreement is the nature of life itself: Nothing happens all at once. Life does not stop on December 31 of one year, and begin all over in a different manner on January 1 of the next. The resolutions or decisions that are made may eventually change the way of life, but nothing happens with the mere turning of a calendar page.
How, then, are the Middle Ages set off in time? The Renaissance scholars would say that they begin with the fall of the Roman Empire and end with the beginnings of the Renaissance. This definition is perhaps still the best one. Historians disagree on the precise date of the fall of the Western Empire; some will date the fall about the year A.D. 376 when the barbarians began a serious move into Roman territory. Others will say that the full decline of the Western Empire lasted until around the year A.D. 800. Many others will propose key dates in between these two. In this course we compromise and speak of the beginning of the Middle Ages as about the year A.D. 500.
The same problem arises with the closing dates. The Renaissance began anywhere from the mid-1200s to the 1400s, depending on the country. The full changes in society, government, and the church that led to the mental attitude and political climate of the Renaissance did not occur in an instant. In this course you will consider the close of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance to be just before 1500.
The period of the Middle Ages can itself be divided into several eras. Some historians will speak of the Early, High, and Late Middle Ages referring to the beginnings of the medieval world, to the peak of medieval civilization, and to the decline of the medieval way of life that overlaps the start of the Renaissance. Again, not all historians will agree on the dates for each of these periods of time.
Life in the Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages: Barbarian Invasions
Part of the decline of the Western Roman Empire was due to the vast numbers of barbarians migrating from one section of Europe and Asia to another. Some of these same barbarians had been hired by Rome as mercenary soldiers to keep order in the provinces. To understand the barbarian invasions and the lasting effect that they had on the formation of Europe, it is necessary to learn just who these barbarians were and why they moved across Europe as they did.
The word barbarian, barbarus in Latin, was used by the Romans to describe all the tribes outside the boundaries of the empire. These uncivilized tribes were generally nomadic peoples. A brief look at some of the major barbarian tribes may help to put this broad group of humanity into perspective.
