Middle / Medieval Ages

The Middle Ages, or medieval period, lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD and ended with the fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD. The Middle Ages is often referred to as the “Dark Ages” because of the perceived lack of progress or advancement during this time. However, the Middle Ages was actually a time of great learning and achievement.

During the early Middle Ages, much of the learning that had been done in the Western Roman Empire was lost. However, the Arab world preserved and continued to develop the learning of the Greeks and Romans. In the late Middle Ages, scholars from Europe began to travel to the Arab world to learn from these scholars. This learning, combined with the learning of the indigenous peoples of Europe, led to a Renaissance of learning in the late Middle Ages.

During the Middle Ages, people learned about a wide range of topics, including mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, medicine, and philosophy. The University of Bologna, founded in 1088, was one of the first institutions of higher learning in Europe and helped to further the spread of learning during the Middle Ages.

Despite the common perception, the Middle Ages was actually a time of great learning. Thanks to the preservation of learning in the Arab world and the travel of European scholars to learn from them, the late Middle Ages saw a Renaissance of learning. A wide range of topics were studied during the Middle Ages, at institutions like the University of Bologna, which helped to further the spread of learning during this time.