The Middle Ages: Not the “Dark Ages” but Literally the “Age of Brightness”

The Middle Ages are often referred to generally as the “Dark Ages,” but there is a critical historical distinction between the entire Medieval period and the particular Dark Ages, the lack of which has skewed popular understanding of the medieval period. The naming of a later period in Western European history as the “Enlightenment” has probably contributed to the misperception of the Middle Ages as a relatively dark period. The Medieval Millenium:The Middle Ages were the period in Western European history lasting around a thousand years from approximately the Fall of the Roman Empire in the West (476 A.D.) to the Discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus (1492). The term “Dark Ages” is a relative one for any low point of a civilization, but in Western history refers only to the early medieval period after the fall of the Western Roman Empire to approximately the late Eighth Century, the time of Charles the Great (Charlemagne), the Frankish King who united much of continental Western Europe politically. Charlemagne’s accomplishment and the flowering of culture associated with his reign was one of the origins of Western European Civilization, along with the work of St. Benedict in the Sixth Century, an Italian who established Western monasticism according to a reasonable rule and conserved Europe’s Greco-Roman heritage through the collecting and copying of manuscripts. Problems and Flourishing: Despite the challenges of invasions, wars, plagues and highwaymen, the Middle Ages were nevertheless a period of flourishing in arts, education, sciences, government and law, with a number of local and general renaissances within the era. Among other Medieval accomplishments, the Middle Ages left the following major legacies: fairs; universities, the inventions of cams, clocks and eyeglasses; geographic discoveries; the development of modern science; parliament and common law. Illuminated Manuscripts and Gothic Style: Indeed, it can be argued that the Middle Ages, particularly after the Dark Ages, were not only figuratively, but literally a period of brightness. “Illuminated” manuscripts, the brightly colored intricate designs in books and other publications, were among the artistic innovations of the era. Even greater illumination came from a new kind of architecture. The engineering advancement behind the soaring Gothic-style architecture, which emphasized verticality as a way of pointing to God, allowed masonry walls to be opened up and replaced with glass. The increased fenestration let more light into interior spaces, even if the glass were stained with colors. Thus, this characteristic medieval style literally brightened up interiors that had been relatively dark before. A Brighter Perception: The modern perception of the Middle Ages is often skewed by religious or political bias, but a greater appreciation for it would be more accurate and lead to better understanding of Western European Civilization. In fact, many of the ideas of the Enlightenment, which is falsely portrayed as a complete break from the “Dark Ages,” that are conflated with the entire Middle Ages, had medieval origins, and the American Founders, who are often said to have been influenced heavily by the Enlightenment, were usually educated in the medieval style, which included study of Greek and Latin authors, by whom they were inspired. Figuratively and literally, the middle and later Middle Ages especially, contrary to modern misconception, were in many ways a relatively bright period that continues to shine.