Outline and Proposal

Dark Ages of the Roman Empire

I. the Dark Ages were a time in history when the population was declining,
and there was little literature or other arts. It gave way to a more
enlightened time. The Roman Empire collapse, pandemics of the plague
broke out and extreme climate changes produced a decline in agriculture,
depopulation and the breakdown of society.

The Romans slowly lost their control of the empire as other, stronger
groups moved through the area. There were many battles, and the
Romans were defeated.
Charlemagne takes charge
Charlemagne led the Frankish people through Italy, and then
continued west. He established what France became, and he helped
spread Christianity.

II. Events that Led to the Advancement

The collapse of the western Roman Empire led to the beginning of

the Dark Ages.
As the Roman Empire fell apart, the new groups of people scattered
across the land. They were uneducated people who spoke different
languages, and they replaced the more civilized Romans.

III. Effects of Advancement

The Byzantine Empire continues to rule

In spite of the fighting going on around Western Europe, the
Byzantine Empire continued to hold their land for another 200 years.
The Bulgarians led attacks along the Black Sea and began
establishing a powerful rule.
A Rise in Islamic Victories
Muslim people began moving into what had been Roman territory in
the past. Their influence spread quickly and they took over many
lands.

IV. Evolution of the Advancement

Education begins to rise again in the Roman Empire

Life settled down some and after the fighting and death of so many
people, those who were left began to focus on education once again.
Christianity is on the rise.
As Christianity spread through the lands, the people began to settle
down. The lands settled firmly into their own kingdoms, and the
fighting died down for a time. It was considered the end of the Dark
Ages.

V. Conclusion

Charlemagnes reign reinvigorated Europe. He unified much of the

west, forged an alliance with the church, and spread the cross. The
emperor used the idea of the Roman Empire to provide his subjects
something to achieve and believe in. He sponsored education, art,
and architecture. Most importantly, Charlemagne reformed the
economy
The Dark Ages ended with the Crusades. The Crusaders returned to
Europe with goods and technology that expanded European
knowledge and created a demand. This demand revived a dormant
economy and learning. The Medieval Warm Period led to population
increases and urbanization as crops thrived. By the middle of the
fourteenth century, Europe was humming along and the Dark Ages a
distant memory.

Add Bibliography here!

What does the term the Dark Ages mean? In what ways was the Dark
Ages dark? In what ways was this society inadvertently preparing to
emerge in modernity through the preservation of classical literature and
scripture? What particular impact did Ireland have in the world that would
emerge from the Dark Ages? Consider the literature produced in early Old
English, a Germanic language with a Celtic imagination, expressed in
Arthurian legend. What do these breathtaking legends of knights and
honor have to do with our modern sense of ethics? What is the chivalric
code?
Outline and Proposal

The fall of the Roman Empire was due to the decline of traditions, culture,
economics, and creativity of the people during that time. The Roman
Empire became mismanaged to the point that barbarian incursions
caused the collapse of the empire. Without the security of the empire
people were forced into survival mode, meaning that people had to work to
eat and keep a roof over their heads, education, philosophy, all of the
higher arts were next to impossible to maintain. The collapse of the empire
saw great death, but even more migration. This scattering and need for
survival created what we know as the Dark Ages. Much knowledge was lost
as a result of the plunder, deaths, and the migrations. Charlemagne
(Charles the Great) became master of Western Europe. It was falling into
decay when Charlemagne became joint king of the Franks in 768. Except in
the monasteries, people had all but forgotten education and the arts.
Boldly Charlemagne conquered barbarians and kings alike. By restoring the
roots of learning and order, he preserved many political rights and revived
culture.
Charlemagnes grandfather was Charles Martel, the warrior who crushed
the Saracens. Charlemagne was the elder son of Bertrade and Pepin the
Short, first mayor of the palace to become king of the Franks. Although
schools had almost disappeared in the Eighth century, historians believe
that Bertrade gave young Charles some education and that he learned to
read. During his 46 year reign, he sent out 53 of them. He moved his
armies over wide reaches of country with unbelievable speed, with every
move planned in advance. Before a campaign, he told the counts, princes,
and bishops throughout his realm how many men they should bring, what
arms they were to carry, and even what to load in the supply wagons.
These feats of organization and the swift marches would influence
Napoleon. But more importantly, his organizing abilities would also serve
him well when organizing the governing districts within his empire. By 800,
Charlemagne was the undisputed ruler of Western Europe. His vast realm
covered what are now France, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
It included half of present-day Italy and Germany, part of Austria, and the
Spanish March (border). The broad March reached to the Ebro River.
After establishing the seat of government at Aix-la-Chapellethe new
Jerusalem with a new David at the helmCharlemagne restored much of
the unity of the old Roman Empire and paved the way for the development
of the Holy Roman Empire.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
What Does The Term The Dark Ages Mean? In What Ways Were The Dark
Ages Dark? In What Ways Was This Society Inadvertently Preparing To
Emerge In Modernity Through The Preservation Of Classical Literature And
Scripture?
What
Particular
Impact
Did
Ireland
Ha
Maurice
Taylor
DeVry University

Caselli, G. (1998) The Roman Empire and the Dark Ages. London: Peter
Bedrick
Books
Caselli is among the many scholars holding the perspective that the term
Dark Ages refers to the due period within Europe immediately after the
decline of the Roman Empire. It is within this period that barbarian Huns,
Vandals, and Goths were swept to Europe from both the east and north.
They later destroyed most of the fine buildings as well as works of art
which were in existence during the Roman times. It is also within these
Dark Ages that due knowledge survived among different monasteries as
schools were very. Most of the old crafts and arts were destroyed or lost.
This remains the major reason why the time was termed as the Dark
Ages. The barbarians did not conquer the eastern Roman Empire where
the arts flourished. People held the thought of making fine art works in
different regions of the world. In the 1000s, Europe slowly started
recovering from the artistic darkness while knowledge was lost within the
ancient Greeks and Romans and later realized. Caselli observes that there
is plenty of new and interesting material to learn from the dark ages.
France, J., DeVries, K. (2008) Warfare in the Dark Ages. New York:
Ashgate
Publishing
Company
France and DeVries maintain that the decline of the Roman Empire was as
a result of the decay and go slow of economics, traditions, culture, and
creativity among the people within that time. The Roman Empire also
turned to be more mismanaged to a point that the barbarian incursions
led to the development of a collapsed empire. Without the stern security to
the residents of the empire, people were compelled to seek alternative
survival modes which meant that people needed to work for purposes of

eating and keeping a shelter overran the long run. This also stretched to
aspects of education, philosophy as well as all other forms of higher arts
which appeared to be almost impossible to retain. The extensive empire
collapse attracted saw great death as well as more migration. This went on
to scatter the need for survival created by the atmosphere of the Dark
Ages. The authors have a number of well-chosen lines relating to the
evolution of modernity in terms of interpreting the Germanic peoples as
well as the association of their interpretation to the German nationalism.
Garnsey, P. (1987) The Roman Empire: Economy, Society, and Culture.
California:
University
of
California
Press
According to Garnsey, there were certain massive decrements within the
levels of GDP in the Roman Empire. This had started with the Western
Roman Empire within the years of 500 and 1000. There probably were
drastic increments within the GDP levels of the eastern Roman Empire at
the same period. Further, even there was a due decline of the western
part; there were exceptions such as the Cordoba caliphate, the North
African littoral, the Italian maritime republics, France after the Carolingian
unification and England after Alfred the Great. In other places there were
due declines of the usage of Latin, urbanization and long-range trade. The
effective civilization extinction does not take place in the dark ages as it
was highly emblematized. The authors do touch on the opening chapters
on issues relating to various crucial themes led by above all Roman
brutality
as
well
as
the
barbarians
otherness.
Potter, D. S. (2009) A Companion to the Roman Empire. New York: John
Wiley
&
Sons
In this book, Potter observes that for the purposes of seeing the extent of
the depths of the human mind in the devolved dimension, it is critical to
understand the actual history of the Dark Ages. It is only through this that
dwelling on the historians falsifications will increasingly cause prejudice to
their Christian beliefs. It is possible to understand the extent of
degradation of the Romans minds in becoming detrimental during the
determined centuries in Europe when the earlier Dark Ages took place.
Europe also heavily languished in cultural and intellectual retrogression
across the late stages of middle Ages even as the allure of wisdom was
well preserved and advanced by individuals labeled as the infidel Saracen.

The strategic reintroduction of the Greek Tradition as well as the Perennial

Tradition under the confluence of thoughts developed by the Europeans
and Muslims at the beginning of 1000 CE, revitalized the knowledge
conceptions
derived
from
experienceparticipation.
Steele, P. (2009) The Roman Empire. London: The Rosen Publishing Group
Steele adds that people were illiterate and the Roman Empire appeared to
be shrunken to any degree around all the diversities of its decline. Roads
became too dangerous to engage in traveling as the governing law was
arbitrary based on violence and force. Commerce declined to subsistence
living as well as barter which became the ideal and main mechanism of
trading as most of the coins developed in the old Roman Empire were
already consumes. The philosophy, arts and related leisure activities which
were formed on the basis of the Roman political systems stability was
gone too. The population was in constant fear due to this instability as it
was hard to imagine the catastrophic collapse of civilization, commerce and
society leading to the Dark Ages.