The Middle Ages (or "dark times") were a turning point in the history of Europe. The term itself got its name due to the fact that this period was intermediate between antiquity and the Renaissance.
The Middle Ages began after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. The tribes of Goths and Huns razed the ancient city to the ground and established a new government. Initially, the barbarian system resembled a tribal community headed by a council of elders. But very soon the reins of government passed to individual leaders who surpassed their counterparts either in strength or in cunning.
Europe in the Middle Ages became the cradle of most modern countries. They were formed according to the territorial principle and resembled ancient city-states. The exception was the political system. The leader of a certain region built a castle, near which the central village of the region was located. The ruler ensured the protection and safety of the inhabitants.
Not everyone could afford to live in the city, so villages were built much more often. The villagers also strove for security and paid taxes for it in favor of their lord.
The formation of the so-called feudal system was marked by the early Middle Ages. And then begins the bloody history of conquest. Some lords excelled others in the quality of weapons and the size of the army. This allowed them to seize control of weaker opponents. The most fortunate became kings, the rest became vassals.
The formation of states could not do without a powerful idea that was supposed to unite the scattered tribes. In the 12th-13th centuries, the monarchs began to actively contribute to strengthening the positions of the Christian church. In less than a hundred years, Catholicism became the only religion in medieval Europe. Its stronghold to this day remains the Vatican. But if now the Pope is a public person declaring peace and harmony, then 600 years ago the then preachers of the holy word propagated the ideas of the Crusades (of which there were 3) behind the Holy Sepulcher.
The most successful is the achievement of the English king Richard the Lionheart, who conquered Jerusalem. But the greed of the crusaders led to the fact that true values were erased from their code of honor. This affected not only the attitude to duty, but also morale. Which, in turn, allowed the great leader of the Arabs (Saladin) to utterly defeat the French and English corps of knights. Having recaptured the city, the victors washed it with clean water and strewn with rose petals.
The Middle Ages were significant not only for conquests, but also for the achievements of science. The Church did not contribute to the general education of the population, but neverthelessthere were scientists who actively worked on the development of their ideas. Among them are Galileo Galilei, who declared that the earth is round, because of which he was burned by the Holy Inquisition, and, of course, the famous Leonardo da Vinci, whose inventions are still relevant today.
The history of the Middle Ages is interesting and can teach a lot. Chivalric novels would be useful to young people with their degraded concepts of honor, dignity, love and friendship. The mistakes of the rulers, considered on modern models of states, would help to improve the economic situation for the better, and today's Aesculapius should learn from the unselfishness of the scientists of that time.
