History
What were the Middle Ages?
Quick answer
The Middle Ages, or medieval period, lasted roughly from 500 to 1500 CE in Europe. It was the time of kings, knights, castles, cathedrals, monasteries and village farming.
In one sentence
The Middle Ages were the roughly 1,000 years in European history between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance.
Explained
After the western Roman Empire ended in 476 CE, Europe was divided into many kingdoms. Historians call the next thousand years or so the Middle Ages or the medieval period. People used to call the early part the "Dark Ages", but we now know there was a lot of learning, art and trade, so most historians avoid the term.
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Society was organised in layers called the feudal system. The king gave land to powerful lords, who gave land to knights, who promised to fight for them. At the bottom were the peasants, who farmed the land and made up most of the people. They paid the lord with work and a share of their crops. Towns also grew, with markets, guilds of craftspeople, and cathedrals that took generations to build.
The Church was powerful. Monks and nuns lived in monasteries, where they copied books by hand and looked after the sick. In 1215, English barons made King John sign the Magna Carta, which said that even a king must obey the law.
In the middle of the period, in 1347, a deadly disease called the Black Death reached Europe, probably carried by fleas on rats, and killed a very large number of people. Villages emptied, and afterwards survivors were able to ask for better pay.
The Middle Ages gave us many things we know: castles (see castles), knights (see knights), universities and the first mechanical clocks. The period ended around 1450 to 1500, when printing presses began to spread ideas fast, explorers sailed overseas and artists began the Renaissance. Earlier, the Vikings raided parts of Europe during these centuries.
Examples
| Group | Role |
|---|---|
| King | ruled the land |
| Lord | held land and gave justice |
| Knight | trained fighter, served a lord |
| Monk | prayed, studied and copied books |
| Peasant | farmed the land |
Common mistakes
- "Everyone was a knight or a king." Most people were farmers.
- "Nobody washed or learned anything." Towns had bathhouses, schools and universities.
- "Medieval means one place." Asia, Africa and the Americas had different histories at the same time.
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Related topics
Castles
A castle is a large fortified building where a lord lived and defended his land. Medieval castles had thick walls, towers, a gatehouse and often a moat.
Knights
A knight was a trained, armoured soldier on horseback in medieval Europe who swore to serve a lord or king. Boys trained for years, first as pages and then as squires.
Vikings
The Vikings were seafarers from Scandinavia who raided, traded and settled across Europe and beyond from about 790 to 1066 CE. They sailed in fast longships.
The Renaissance
The Renaissance was a period of new interest in art, science and learning that began in Italy in the 1300s and spread across Europe. The word means "rebirth".
Ancient China
Ancient China was one of the world's oldest civilisations, growing along the Yellow River more than 3,500 years ago. It gave us paper, printing, silk, the compass and the Great Wall.
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was a great civilisation along the River Nile that lasted about 3,000 years. It is famous for pharaohs, pyramids, hieroglyphs and mummies.