Coming
to medieval history as a complete novice, this question was a puzzle
to me. The terms seem to be interchangeable, so why not stick to one?
I thought you might wonder too, so here is the explanation.
The
Middle Ages were so named by humanists in Italy in the late 15th
century. They were working to revive Classical learning and culture,
and looked back to the ancient Greek and Roman Empires as the last
high point of culture. In between the two, was the 'Middle Ages'.
The
word 'Medieval' is the adjective used for the Middle Ages. It comes
from the Latin, meaning 'middle age'! So, Middle Ages and Medieval
Period mean the same thing.
There
is much debate over exactly when the Middle Ages began and ended. It
covers roughly 1000 years, from the fall of Roman civilisation to the
Renaissance. But Roman civilisation didn't collapse overnight, and
the Renaissance came to different places at different times.
The
web site medievalplus.com gives the following dates:
The
Beginning of the Middle Ages
476
AD Regarded as the end of rule across Europe by the Roman Empire.
Although Roman control of many parts of Europe had ceased several
years previously due to rebellions and uprisings; in fact the Roman
armies finally left Britain almost sixty years prior to that date.
The
End of the Middle Ages
1453
The capture of Constantinople by the Turks
1453
The end of the Hundred Years' War between the English and the French
1492
The Muslims’ being ejected from Spain
1492
The discovery of America by Columbus
1517
The Protestant Reformation starting
Many
people like to use round numbers to make it easier and say that the
Middle Ages was 500AD to
1500AD. The second date is when the modern world is considered to
have begun. Historians have also put forward cases for the
Renaissance beginning in the 14th and even 13th
centuries, and sometimes as late as the 17th century, but
the 15th century is a good general date to use, and gives
us that round number of 1000 years.
Now,
just to complicate matters, the Middle Ages is split into three
periods:
1.
The Early Middle Ages (6th to
10th
centuries)
2.
The High Middle Ages (11th to 13th centuries)
3.
The Late Middle Ages (14th to 15th centuries)
It
was the first period which was known as the Dark Ages. This was
originally named because it was assumed to be a time of ignorance and
barbarity, and little was known about it. As historians learn more
about this period, the term has fallen into disuse. I wrote about
this in another blog post.
Sources:
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