DBQ Essay: The Dark Ages

Knights, castles, princesses: they were all a part of the Medieval Ages, or rather, the Dark Ages. The term Dark Ages is a name given to the Middle Ages, or the Medieval Ages. “Dark” is simply referring to the lack of events or advances taking place. The Middle Ages took place from 400 CE to 1400 CE, according to Document A (INDVA). There is debate as to whether the Dark Ages were truly that “dark”. The term “Dark Ages” is an inappropriate term as much actually did occur during this time. A strict definition for the word nationality states “the status of belonging to particular nation” (“Nationality”). A definition more suiting to medieval times would be a “distinctive national or ethnic character” (“Nationality”). A person’s nationality is much more than just where you were born. Joan of Arc was a French heroine that knew much about nationality. When she was a young girl, she heard voices from God telling her to drive the English out of her home country, France. She was able to rally up an army and lead them to victory at the battle of Orleans. She single handedly contributed to the formation of …show more content…
The Crusades were military expeditions first started by Pope Urban II in an effort to retake the holy lands. There were a total of eight Crusades. They were very bloody with many casualties and deaths, however they were successful in spreading Christianity. The Crusades had some side effects in addition to their main goal. One positive effect was increased trade routes. Document E shows how trade routes expanded after the Crusades. Now there was trade throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia. Another side effect from the Crusades was increased intellectual development. As people moved around during the Crusades, so did ideas. Intellectual development, just like trade, flourished during this time. The Crusades occurred during the Dark Ages, but they were very beneficial to the world back