What are the biggest popular misconceptions and myths surrounding the Dark Ages and medieval history?
>>313287
They weren't that dark
>>313287
Dunno but people tend to forget that the early middle ages happened at all, just look at any modern depiction of something "medieval" and you will always get something closer to the renaissance than to the fucking middle ages.
>>313482
Honestly, at least in my country, people refer the early feudal middle ages as medieval more than renaissance
>Dark age
Is this an American meme? Can't say I have ever heard it here.
Is my understanding correct that the 'Dark Ages' were a result of the Roman Empire collapsing and technology reverting back 500+ years?
>muh lost roman culture/technology and stagnated advancement thanks to christianity
>muh golden age of shitslam
>>313287
You could get a book filled with myths and misconceptions.
However most academics know the myths are bullshit, it's just that the general public is 40 or 30 years behind.
I think most people really lack a sense of chronology and fail to realize it's close to a 1000 year period if you include the migration age. They probably imagine Charlemagne, Vikings, King Arthur, Robin Hood, The crusades and the 100 years war all to happen at more or less the same time
Ps, I stand behind the 'choice' to refer to the early medieval period as dark ages since there really is scant literary shit and sources.
>>313522
Here is a reasonable, short and thought out article.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/quora/how-the-middle-ages-reall_b_5767240.html
>>313287
I was going to post a thread about Karl last night. Can anyone recommend some books on him or the Frankish kingdoms in general?
>>313527
And some more by the same author.
https://www.quora.com/Why-did-science-make-little-real-progress-in-Europe-in-the-Middle-Ages
>>313521
Say that in a Daesh contested area, or London or Clichy-sous-bois, not on your Burmese origami-folding board, and let's see how you fare infidel, I dare you.
That it was more like a dim age that lasted for about 150 years after the Fall of Rome, instead of a 900 year long pit devoid of culture.
Feudalism is the natural state of civilized christian men. We despise it today because we love technology and comfort more than real world.
>>313287
The layman's picture of life expectancy annoys me a bit. As in, you didn't just drop dead as soon as you hit 30 because the raw mean says so. More likely, you either died as a baby, or you made it to around 50-65, even 65+ if you were wealthy or lucky.
>>313896
>Feudalism is the natural state of civilized christian men
>>313287
That Africans weren't kings in Europe. It's one of the deepest open secrets especially in Germany.
