The Middle Ages, often referred to as the Dark Ages, stand out as one of the most debated periods in human history, largely due to the abundance of misconceptions surrounding the era.
To understand why these misconceptions exist, it’s essential to first identify when the Middle Ages began. Historians typically trace back the start of this period to the aftermath of the fall of the Roman Empire, which marked the end of centralized authority in Western Europe.
This collapse triggered political fragmentation and the emergence of smaller kingdoms and feudal societies. Ironically, one of the earliest misconceptions about the Middle Ages lies in its alternate name, the Dark Ages. The label originated from the scarcity of historical records from the time.
Modern historians, however, have revisited the term and concluded that it grossly oversimplifies the complexity and significance of the era.
There was no progress during the Middle Ages
It is widely thought that the Middle Ages were a period of scientific stagnation, but newly made discoveries, and further historical analyses would argue differently.
A great example of how the Middle Ages were not a period of stagnation and lack of progress is the architecture pioneered during this era. Perhaps the best exponent of the architectural advancements made at the time was the Gothic architectural style, present in buildings like the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
Another example of how the Middle Ages were not a stagnant period of time, is the Carolingian Renaissance between the eighth and ninth centuries. This period was characterized by the standardization of writing with Carolingian minuscule, which would become the basis for modern European scripts.
Everyone thought the Earth was flat
In the 19th century, writers like Washington Irving popularized the belief that everyone thought the Earth was flat during the Middle Ages. This claim, however, is incorrect.
Spherical Earth was commonly taught in medieval universities. They used the knowledge passed on from scholars like Isidore of Seville and Ancient Greek Philosopher Aristotle, to teach students the Earth, was indeed, round.
To debunk this claim is easy: Eratosthenes – an ancient Greek philosopher who predates the Middle Ages – had already calculated the circumference of our planet. Now, in what may be a misconception in itself, Christopher Colombus did not argue that the Earth was flat. Instead, he said that the globe’s circumference was smaller than previously thought– he was wrong.
Knights were noble and chivalrous
Books, film and TV have helped push the idea that Knights were these noble and righteous figures who did good and justice during the Middle Ages. Unfortunately, however, this was rarely the case.
Chivalry, as a concept, was more of an ideal than a reality during the Middle Ages, as many Knights would often engage in brutal warfare which often involved slaughtering innocents and pillaging roads and villages.
Perhaps the best example of how brutal Knights could actually be was during the Crusades, despite them being sparked initially by religious fanaticism, many Knights used it as an opportunity to get rich, not executing God’s will.
The Church delayed intellectual and scientific progress during the Middle Ages
It is commonly believed that the medieval church purposely hindered scientific and intellectual advancements during the Middle Ages. This misconception could not be further away from the truth given that the church, for the most part, encouraged learning and innovation.
Indeed, the Medieval church founded some of the earliest universities in the world like the University of Bologna in 1088, and the University of Paris in 1150. Additionally, some of the church’s clerks became crucial figures, like Roger Bacon who was a pioneer of the Scientific Method. He also conducted experiments and wrote about natural philosophy.
Additionally, Christian monasteries preserved and translated many ancient Greek and Roman texts, meaning that they ensured this knowledge survived during times of constant and brutal warfare.
Despite this, however, no other invention debunks the myth behind the Church’s delaying progress like the invention of the mechanical clock, which was invented by monastic needs, to establish precise prayer schedules.