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Dark Ages Dbq Essay

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Was it a Dark Age?
The term “dark ages” describes a period during Medieval Europe when inventions and ideas stopped, violence increased, and disease killed many people. The term “dark ages” came from an Italian scholar named Francesco Petrarch. He compared it to the Classical Age that thrived before. The dark ages occurred during Medieval Europe, which lasted from 500 AD to 1500 AD. The dark ages consisted of the Crusades, the Black Death, government, and universities. Medieval Europe could be considered to be in a dark age or in a growth age. However, based on the evidence, Europe was undoubtedly in a dark age. The dark ages consisted of several very violent and very tragic outbreaks. During this period, the Crusades and the Black Death occured. According to the Document C of the Crusade passages, explaining what happened in the First Crusade, “None of them were left alive; neither women nor children were spared.” This quote points out how violent and merciless the Crusaders were. This period of time had war and chaos which is what makes it a dark age. According to the the Document B of the Black Death article, “There the plague sat like a lion on a throne and swayed with power, killing daily one thousand or more and destroying the population.” This caused …show more content…

According to Source B in Government passages, "To all free men of our kingdom we have also granted, for us and to our heirs for ever, all the liberties written out below, to have and to keep for them and their heirs, of us and our heirs." This shows that they wanted the laws to last for a long time, with no one exempted from the rules. Although these laws were clear, the punishments were harsh. In Source A of the Government passages, “Concerning false money, we have ordered that he who has been proved to have made it shall have his hand cut off.” Because a person made fake money, they had to have a limb cut

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