Middle Ages

a somewhat old-fashioned term applied to the period of history extending from the "fall" of the Roman Empire to the taking of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453. It embraces from ten to eleven centuries. The early period is known also as the Dark Ages, the last part as the Renaissance. Important topics of the period are Islam, Feudalism and Chivalry, the Papacy, Monasticism, the Crusades, the Turks, Free Cities, etc. Recent writers distribute medieval history. They divide the world's history into ancient and modern. Ancient history is held to close with the death of Charlemagne.