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THE MIDDLE AGES The Middle Ages covers a 900 hundred year period from the political expiration of the Roman Empire in the 5th Century to the beginnings of modern times in the 14th century This era in history of western Europe is often divided into (1) the Early Middle Ages, also known as the Dark Ages (5th to 10th centuries), a period of disorder and decline, and (2) the Later Middle Ages (11th to 14th centuries), a period of advance toward a higher level of civilization. THE DECLINE OF CIVILIZATION IN THE DARK AGES The Germanic invasions resulted in the political collapse of the Roman Empire and the ruin of its highly developed economic and social system, thus bringing on the Dark Ages. 1. Decline of Trade and Industry. Merchants, fearing the seizure of their goods by the highway robbers and pirates, stopped shipping to distant points and confined their trade to the local marketplace. The excellent Roman roads deteriorated. Lacking sufficient markets, industry shut down. Unemployed workers moved to rural areas. As trade and industry dwindled, cities declined in population, many disappeared; also, money fell into disuse. 2. Decline of Learning and Culture. During these unsettled times (a) Roman schools, libraries, and museums were destroyed, (b) arts and sciences were neglected, and (c) reading and writing were forgotten. People were concerned not with learning and culture but remaining alive. 3. Decline of Strong Central Government. Government was now in the hands of weak Germanic (barbarian) kingdoms: the Visigoths in Spain, the Ostrogoths in Italy, the Angles and Saxons in England, and the Franks in Gaul (France). Their rulers generally failed to provide protection, insure justice, and maintain order. Such weaknesses existed because the Germanic (a) lacked power to control their large territories and populations. Only a few hundred thousand Germans governed millions of other peoples. (b) Lacked large armies to subdue ambitious nobles. A noble sometimes commanded military forces stronger than those of a monarch (c) Lacked roads and bridges to transport armies to trouble spots. Because the Germans knew little about engineering, they could not maintain the Roman transportation facilities. (d) Lacked rules of succession to the throne to prevent civil war after a ruler’s death The only strong Germanic government was the Frankish kingdom in the 8th and early 9th centuries