Middle Ages DBQ

Rome was the most powerful and successful Empire in history. After the fall of Rome, an era called the Middle Ages came. Even though Rome fell, the Middle Ages still had roots in the classical heritage of Rome and the beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church. Germanic Invaders destroyed Rome's economy, government, and culture. Learning declined and a common language was lost which resulted in the emergence of Germanic kingdoms. The church was the only thing that survived and provided stability, order, and security. An Empire, ran by the idea of a churchly kingdom evolved. The three labels that best describe the middle ages are the Dark Ages, a time of loss and declension, the Age of Faith, a time that was dominated by Christianity and the Golden

Christians devoted themselves to the church, giving up every aspect of their life for God. People converted to Christianity because of the dark times; a religion made them feel safe in hopes of getting to a better place to escape their hard lives (Doc 10). During the medieval period, an epidemic called the Bubonic Plague killed one-third of Europe's population. The people were so unsanitary that is spread easily, but they blamed it on the Jews alleged revenge plans against them (Doc 6). Conditions in Europe during the 800’s were full of fear and unceasing terror. This was a result of the constant invasions from the Vikings, Muslims, and Magyars; kings couldn't defend their lands and people no longer looked to a central ruler for security (Doc 7). The Northmen, Vikings, plundered, then burned, towns; most of Europe was an easy target after Rome fell. Also, Charlemagne's three feuding grandsons broke apart Europe and defense became weak (Doc 8). The following reasons support the Dark Ages as being the best label to describe the medieval

A social code called chivalry was created for knights in medieval Europe, stressing ideas such as courage, loyalty, and devotion which is seen as a good thing. The ideal knight was loyal, brave courageous, and protected the weak and poor, but most knights failed to do this, treating the lower classes brutally (Doc 5). Gothic style architecture could also be considered part of the Golden Age because of its extravagance. Unfortunately, large churches called Cathedrals were built in the style using the church's dirty money; it showed off the church’s wealth (Doc 9). The time period could be called Golden since older knowledge was preserved and influenced the future. This is true, but medieval culture was restricted to the church, such as the pope and clergy (Doc 11). What came out of the medieval period was good but the period itself was more dark than golden.
In conclusion, the three best labels are the Golden Age, the Age of Faith, and the Dark Ages. However, the best label out of the three is the Dark Ages because of the death, corruption, failure, and the invasions.The age of Faith couldn't be the best because the church manipulated their followers. The Golden Age also couldn't be the best because all the good things came from something bad. The church acted as a good distraction and form of security from chaos, but it had bad intentions. As a result, the medieval period is also known as the Dark