The Middle Ages: Between Ancient and Modern

The End of an Empire

In 476 CE, the Germanic general Odoacer deposed the last Roman emperor, ending more than 800 years of glory for the “Eternal City.” Historians mark this event as the end of ancient history in Western Europe. About one thousand years later, Europe experienced a “rebirth” called the Renaissance. The thousand years between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance is known as the Middle Ages. Many historians use the Latin term “medieval” to describe the era.

The people of Western Europe who lived during the Middle Ages didn’t view themselves as living “in the middle” of anything. They were more likely to see themselves as living at the end of time because the great civilizations of Greece and Rome had fallen.

Famine, Fear, and Disease

Terrible periods of famine, or great hunger, were common during the Middle Ages. Farmers knew that just one or two years of bad harvests could mean starvation for an entire family. People had little understanding of hygiene and frequently faced widespread disease. Children often died in infancy; a woman might give birth to ten children only to see two or three live past infancy. In the middle of the fourteenth century, a terrible disease called the Black Death killed nearly one-third of the people of Europe.

Faith and Feudalism

Life for most people in Western Europe during the Middle Ages was difficult, and few thought conditions could improve. Feudalism replaced the protection of the Roman army. Poor farmers often lived on land owned by noble families loyal to the ruler. Society was divided into strict social classes, making it nearly impossible for a landless person to escape poverty.

The only hope for most people in Western Europe during the Middle Ages was their faith in Christianity and the belief that life in heaven would be better than life on earth. Builders demonstrated their faith by constructing massive cathedrals that soared above the simple homes of ordinary people. Many cathedrals took more than a lifetime to complete.

The Beginnings of Modern Life

Despite the hardships of the era, some seeds of modern life were first planted during the Middle Ages. Many modern legal rights stem from the Magna Carta, written in 1215 when English nobles forced their king to accept limits on his powers. Formal education began as the first universities were organized in the eleventh century.

Though few people could read or write, some of the most beautiful works of literature were composed. Beowulf, Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Dante’s poetry, and the legends of King Arthur are still read and admired today. The few books produced during the Middle Ages were called manuscripts—meaning “written by hand”—because the printing press had not yet been invented.

Europe’s “Dark Age” was anything but dark in other parts of the world. Muslims in the Middle East studied and improved on the works of the ancient Greeks, while civilization flourished in sub-Saharan Africa, China, India, and the Americas.

The Dawn of the Renaissance

Europe began to experience momentous change by about 1450, a period we now call the Renaissance. Renaissance means “rebirth.” Within a hundred years, Columbus sailed to America, literacy spread after the invention of the printing press, scientists made great discoveries, and artists created works that still inspire us today. Historians regard the Renaissance as the beginning of modern history.