Dark Ages Europe

1. Dark Ages Europe By: JdBusbee

2. Background Info • Dark Ages Europe was a time period starting after the fall of the Holy Roman Empire(500-1500 C.E.) • This was a time of major change in Europe • Many aspects of civilization declined, but art, philosophy, and architecture prospered

3. Theme 1: Human/Enviroment Interaction • During the Dark Ages, agricultural productivity majorly increased as a result of new technological innovations • The manorial system was established in Europe, which resulted in an increase in the amount of peasants in Europe and also led to and increase in rural areas • The bubonic plague was considered the most devastating event in Europe during the Middle Ages, it lasted almost 30 years and killed off one out of every three Europeans

4. Theme 2: Development and Interaction of Cultures • During the Dark Ages, though there was rapid change in almost all aspects of European society, the one thing that remained stable was the Catholic Church, it stayed strong throughout this time, and continued to hold power within much of Western Europe • Art, architecture, and philosophy grew rapidly during this time period, they became very central aspects of culture and were often based on the teachings of the Catholic Church • Many areas throughout Europe were affected by the teaching of philosophers such as Aristotle and the art of artists such as Duccio and Giotto

5. Theme 3: State Building, Expansion and Conflict • During the Early Middle Ages, the political situation in Europe was in much turmoil • Charlemagne took control of most of Western Europe around 800, but his children were incapable of ruling, so after his death, his empire fell apart • Germanic kings built empires and proclaimed them to be the Holy Roman Empire • Although there was much internal conflict, the Crusades were considered the most prominent events of conflict during the Middle Ages • Beginning in 1095, the Crusades resulted in many failed attempts to take over the Holy Land, the takeover of Constantinople, and the implementation of many new cultural values throughout Europe

6. Theme 4: Creation, Expansion and Interaction of Economic Systems • During the Dark Ages the economy had its ups and downs, but overall it set the foundation for a good economy in the future of Western Europe • Banking developed greatly, and agricultural productivity increased, resulted in a much more prosperous economy • During the High Middle Ages, the economy of Western Europe flourished and continued to grow

7. Theme 5: Development and Transformation of Social Structures • The Social structure of Europe during the Middle Ages was pretty clear cut, the Pope and Kings/Emperors were the most powerful, next were the Landlords and aristocrats, then the Knights, followed by the Artisans and Merchants, and the low end of the social structure was the peasants • The social structure of the period was based greatly of the not only the manorial system but feudalism as well • Also, the position of women during this time was not very good, they were granted some rights, but overall they were considered clearly inferior to men