Dark Age DBQ

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Was Europe actually in a "Dark Age"?

Between the time period 500 and 1500, many people believe that Europe was in a ''dark age", however others do not. In the 1300's, an Italian scholar named Petrarch used the term dark age to describe this period of time(Movie Talk: Dark Ages). During the dark ages there was a lot of violence and barbarism. But, on the other hand there was lots of influential growths in population, weaponry, and food. This time period in Europe has both its good sides and its bad.

There was a lot of evidence in documents that prove Europe wsas not in adark age. According to Document A in the dark ages packet, the Magna Carta, written in 1215, made Europe a place with many rights."The Magna Carta listed 63 demands that English nobles made King John agree to follow, including habeas corpus, which made it illegal to keep people in jail without a reason"(Document A: Magna Carta). In Document C, it shows how the economy of Europe prospered and developed. From 1000 to 1300, Europe's farmland tripled and the food supply increased, bringing up the population. " Europeans resettled lands that had been depopulated by the ninth- and tenth- century invasions and also opened new lands for farming..." (Document C: 2002 Textbook). Due to the growth of population and food supplies and also the laws of the Magna Carta, this period of time states that Europe was not in a Dark Age.

Even though many influential and "Light things happened in this time, a lot of bad
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On ones behalf they might think it is both. Yes there was a lot of violence and yes there was suffering, but there was also many advances to these diseases and social violence, suffering. The population grew, surplus, everything got better, before and after. But with all of the evidence of the "dark age" no one will truly know if this time was a dark or light