The Not So Dark Ages

In spite of a great deal of evidence to the contrary, the popular view of the Middle Ages (the period of time from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance) remains of a lengthy period of ignorance and a lack of creativity. This period of one thousand years is often termed the Dark Ages to signify the mental and scientific darkness that supposedly existed. However, this paper will provide reasons why the Middle Ages should not be referred to as a time of mental or creative darkness, regardless of the changes that took place after the fall of Rome. In reality, these misleading ideas about the centuries leading up to the time of the Renaissance were started by Protestant writers during the Reformation. As described by Hannam, their hatred for anything Catholic motivated them to discredit the universities established during the Middle Ages and, instead, place the emphasis on violence and atrocities.1(p8)

Perhaps the earliest usage of the term Dark Ages was introduced by Francesco Petrarca, an Italian scholar who was very critical of the literature of the period, especially when compared to the classical period of antiquity. This metaphor—using a contrast between ‘light’ and ‘dark’ to represent the presence or lack of higher thinking and accomplishments—was adopted by other scholars in successive years. Thus, over time, the view that the Middle Ages were nothing more than an extended period of ignorance became ingrained in the thinking of the majority of people. Unfortunately, this viewpoint even remained into the twenty-first century, typically as the result of careless research or failure to perform due diligence when studying the Middle Ages. It is ironic to realize that significant information exists to correctly portray this period of time if the effort is made to find the facts.

The implication that the Renaissance represented a unique period of time that was based on a significant renewal of thinking is completely misleading. There was never lack of activity in the fields of science or philosophy during the Middle Ages. Certainly, the conduits for disseminating knowledge were much different during the Middle Ages than during the highpoint of the Roman Empire or during the Renaissance. However, the process never disappeared and there were significant accomplishments in the fields of culture, science, literature, and politics. For example, the Magna Carta is viewed as one of the most impressive early documents related to the parliamentary system of government—and an early form of democracy. This document and its influence on existing (and subsequent) governments are founded squarely in the Middle Ages. Moreover, universities were not developed solely as the result of the Renaissance, since they had been turning out scholars for hundreds of years before that time period. The graduates of these universities were well educated and contributed much to scientific advancements.

Literally tens of thousands of graduates were produced by the universities during the Middle Ages. Without a doubt, the overriding inspiration for these institutions was the Church. But, the type of learning involved was not solely of a religious nature. Not unlike universities of today, graduates experienced instruction across a wide range of subjects, including science. Very few university graduates entered the priesthood, which is in contrast to the stereotypical view of the Church as dominating every aspect of learning during these centuries. Indeed, during the Middle Ages, rather than a lack of learning and reason—as is often charged—it is acknowledged that the level of education received obtained was superior to that available at Cambridge or Oxford during the 1900s. Therefore, there is no reason to refer to these centuries following the fall of Rome to the “Dark Ages.” They simply represented a complex period of time that provided significant contributions to history.

References

1. Hannam J. God’s Philosophers. How the Medieval World laid the foundations of Modern Science. London: Icon Books; 2009.

2. Mommsen T. Petrarch’s Conception of the ‘Dark Ages’. Speculum (Cambridge MA: Medieval Academy of America) 1942; 17 (2): 226-242. doi:10.2307/2856364.

3. Bartlett R. Medieval Panorama. Los Angeles, CA: Getty Trust Publications; 2001.