subject: What Is Early Middle Ages? [print this page] What Is Early Middle Ages? What Is Early Middle Ages?
The period, sometimes referred to as the Dark Ages was marked by dramatic economic, cultural, political, demographic and social changes though these were more or less a continuation of a process that started in the late antique.
Deposition of the last Western Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus by Germanic chieftain Odoacer in 476 that is traditionally regarded as the end of the classical antiquity and beginning of the Middle Ages was actually a "natural" outcome of a process that started in the 3rd century. The Roman Empire nearly collapsed during the so-called Crisis of the 3rd Century which was marked by economic, political, social and spiritual crisis. The western half of one of the greatest empires of all times managed to survive for another 150 years but it changed in its character significantly.
The Crisis of the 3rd Century provided a model to the early medieval Europe in many aspects. The collapse of ancient trade networks, decline of cities as economic centers and spiritual crisis were followed by emergence of half-free tenant peasants, systematic agriculture and rise of Christianity all of which are traditionally associated with the Middle Ages.
The migration of the barbarian peoples accelerated the decline of the classical word in economic, cultural, social and political aspect. The Germanic and Slavic peoples, and later the Avars and Bulgarians could not compare themselves to the highly developed Roman culture, art and architecture either. No major construction were built by the 8th century except for religious buildings, while the majority of population was illiterate (as well as throughout the Middle Ages).
