Middle Ages

noun

• the period of European history from the fall of the Roman Empire in the West (5th century) to the fall of Constantinople (1453), or, more narrowly, from circa 1100 to 1453.

  The earlier part of the period (circa 500-circa 1100) or early Middle Ages is sometimes distinguished as the Dark Ages, while the later part (circa 1100–1453) or high or late Middle Ages is often thought of as the Middle Ages proper. The whole period is characterized by the emergence of separate kingdoms, the growth of trade and urban life, and the growth in power of monarchies and the Church. The growth of interest in classical models within art and scholarship in the 15th century is seen as marking the transition to the Renaissance period and the end of the Middle Ages