The Dark Ages is a term for the Early Middle Ages (c. 5th –10th centuries), or occasionally the entire Middle Ages (c. 5th –15th centuries), in Western Europe after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, which characterises it as marked by economic, intellectual, and cultural decline.

Oct 26, 2022 · The ‘Dark Ages’ were between the 5th and 14th centuries, lasting 900 years. The timeline falls between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance. It has been called the ‘Dark Ages’ because many suggest that this period saw little scientific and cultural advancement.

Migration period, the early medieval period of western European history—specifically, the time (476–800 ce) when there was no Roman (or Holy Roman) emperor in the West or, more generally, the period between about 500 and 1000, which was marked by frequent warfare and a virtual disappearance of urban life.

In historiography the phrase the Dark Ages (or Dark Age) is most commonly known in relation to the European Early Middle Ages (from about 476 C.E. to about 1000 C.E.). This concept of a "Dark Age" was first created by Italian humanists and was originally intended as a sweeping criticism of the character of Vulgar Latin (Late Latin) literature.

The term 'Dark Ages' is fraught with contention and has sparked heated historiographical debates among scholars. The designation 'dark' has been increasingly questioned, with many historians arguing for a reassessment of this often-misunderstood era.

May 26, 2024 · The period in European history from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century CE to the Renaissance of the 15th century was once commonly referred to as the "Dark Ages."

May 31, 2016 · The centuries following the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D. are often referred to as the Dark Ages—but were they really?

The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century.

Sep 7, 2023 · Nonetheless, here is a rough timeline of some significant events during what was once called the Dark Ages: The Western Roman Empire fell in 476 AD when the Germanic chieftain Odoacer deposed the last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus. This event traditionally marks the beginning of the Dark Ages.

Saeculum obscurum ("dark age/century"), a period in the history of the papacy during the first two-thirds of the 10th century; Byzantine Dark Ages (7th–8th centuries), period of large-scale transformation, but obscure due to lack of sources, in Byzantine history