Medieval Life and Times Middle Ages: Beginnings and Cultural Developments Although the transitions were gradual, and exact dates for the demarcation of the Middle Ages are misleading, convention often places the beginning of the period between the death of the Roman emperor Theodosius I in 395 and the fall of Rome to the Visigoths in 410. The Dark Ages, formerly a designation for the entire period of the Middle Ages, and later for the period c.450–750, is now usually known as the Early Middle Ages. The term Dark Ages may be more a judgment on the lack of sources for evaluating the period than on the significance of events that transpired. Medieval Europe was far from unified; it was a large geographical region divided into smaller and culturally diverse political units that were never totally dominated by any one authority. With the collapse of the Roman Empire, Christianity became the standard-bearer of Western civilization. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. More on Middle Ages Beginnings and Cultural Developments from Infoplease:
Medieval Kings The Medieval world was led by medieval kings and queens. The medieval period is also referred to as the Middle Ages and the dark ages. During this period, Medieval Kings and Queens ruled and dominated the lands. However, the decline of the Roman Empire brought about the separation of Britain into several smaller kingdoms. Several stories, myths and legends about kings and queens have been written throughout history. But the life of medieval kings and queens during the middle ages were far from that of a fairy tale and was distant from the images portrayed by stories of legends such as King Arthur. King Alfred The Great Alfred the Great was accepted as being the greatest Anglo-Saxon king ever. King Arthur The Legend of King Arthur is one of fascination and intrigue, who was King Arthur, was he even a real knight, many people even believe he was one of the greatest medieval kings of all time Read more about the King Arthur >> King Frederick Barbarossa Lancaster and York Kings Norman Kings
Middle Ages for Kids: Anglo-Saxons of England History >> Middle Ages for Kids Who were the Saxons? The Saxons were a people from north Germany who migrated to the island of Britain around the 5th century. There were actually three main peoples: the Saxons, the Angles, and the Jutes. After these people moved to Britain they became known as the Anglo-Saxons. Eventually the name "Angles" became the "English" and their land became known as England. Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms The Anglo-Saxons were the dominant peoples on the island of Britain from 550 to 1066. The first kingdom to dominate was Northumbria in the early 600s, a kingdom to the north that was settled by the Angles. Dane Invasion In the mid-800s the Danes (people from Denmark) began to invade England. Alfred the Great Prince Alfred became king in 871. King Alfred became known as Alfred the Great. Social Order At the top of the Anglo-Saxon social order were the kings. Laws and Government The Saxon king did not rule alone. The laws of the Saxons were very primitive. Legacy