Early Middle Ages Essay

827 words - 4 pages

After the fall of Rome in 476 CE, Europe began to decline socially, politically and culturally. The Early Middle Ages lasted between 500 CE to 1100 CE with Emperor Charlemagne in charge. Emperor Charlemagne was a political leader and was also the King of Franks. His name in French meant “King Charles”. The Dark Ages best describes the Early Middle Ages - the era between 500 CE to 1100 CE. Europe had a decline in social, political, and cultural aspects in Europe. Therefore, peoples’ daily lives were cruel and full of poverty, full of invasions, lack of education and technology.
The social aspect of peoples lives during the Early Middle Ages was best labeled as the Dark Ages. First, people that lived in the village had many problems with their house. The floor was made out of dirt, the roof was made out of straw material, and the walls were made out of gum. Since straws weren’t inflammable; while they were cooking, the sparks of fire can set the straw roof on fire and cause it to burn down. Also, since there was no chimneys and the windows were small, the house was always full of smoke. Next, the population gradually decreased because of increasing natural causes and human destruction. There were famines and plagues, which gave a big impact on the population. There were also many floods and storms, which caused farming to become more difficult and when farmers can’t farm, their families basically die. Finally, according to A World Lit Only By Fire, “Although homicides were twice as frequent as deaths by accident, English coroners’ records show that only one of every hundred murders was ever brought to justice” (Manchester 6). This showed that people living in the Early Middle Ages had a hard time living because of harsh living conditions, and natural disasters and some were even caused by themselves.
Invasions from the Vikings, Magyars, and Muslims greatly had an impact both politically and negatively on the Early Middle Ages; and is represented by the Dark Ages. First, “The Vikings were superb shipbuilders and sailors” (Textbook 379). Vikings had great navigation skills because they were good sailors. It made it easy to get to their target quickly. Europe was constantly afraid of them because whoever they captured would either be sold or sent to distant lands. Even though they weren’t Christians, they loved to target monasteries because the people protecting the...

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