Overview

Often called the “Dark Ages,” but that’s unfair. It was a time of castles, cathedrals, and the formation of modern Europe. Meanwhile, the Islamic world was having a Golden Age of science and math.

Core Idea

Feudalism: A social system based on land and loyalty.

  • King: Owns all land.
  • Lords: Get land from King, provide soldiers.
  • Knights: Fight for Lords.
  • Peasants (Serfs): Work the land in exchange for protection.

Formal Definition (if applicable)

Christendom: The unifying concept of Europe as a religious community under the Pope, even while divided politically.

Intuition

Life was local. You were born, lived, and died in the same village. The Church was the only universal institution.

Examples

  • The Crusades: Holy wars between Christians and Muslims for control of Jerusalem.
  • The Black Death (1347): A plague that killed 1/3 of Europe. Paradoxically, it helped the survivors by making labor scarce and valuable (ending serfdom).
  • Magna Carta (1215): The first time a King (John) was forced to admit he wasn’t above the law.

Common Misconceptions

  • “Everyone believed the earth was flat.” (Educated people knew it was round since the Greeks.)
  • “It was all dirty and ignorant.” (They built Gothic cathedrals and founded the first universities like Oxford and Bologna.)
  • Chivalry: The code of conduct for knights.
  • Monasticism: Monks preserving knowledge in libraries.
  • The Silk Road: Trade route connecting Europe and Asia (Marco Polo).

Applications

  • Fantasy Literature: Tolkien and Game of Thrones are based on this era.
  • Legal Systems: Common Law started here.

Criticism / Limitations

The term “Middle Ages” is Eurocentric. In China, it was the Tang/Song Dynasties (high civilization). In the Americas, the Maya and Aztecs were rising.

Further Reading

  • Cantor, The Civilization of the Middle Ages
  • Tuchman, A Distant Mirror