Legacy from the Middle ages Many cultural advancements were made during the Dark Ages which lasted between 500AD and 1000AD. Culture can be divided into five distinct categories such as religion/philosophy, government, science, art/architecture and language/literature.
During the Middle ages, there was a great advancement in theology and many of today's finest universities were built such as the Oxford University and some others in Paris and Rome. In the early 20th century, many other universities were built using the First universities as a base. Oxford University still exists, as one of the most respected school in the world.There were also a lot of religious conflicts mainly between Muslims and Christians over the possession of Constantinople. Although the crusades were overall a failure, historians believe that is was the most important failure in history as it broke off Feudalism and changed people's thinking. In government, there was a significant change when in 1215, Magna Carta was signed, stating that not even the King is above the law.
This period of time can also be seen as the beginning of true representative government which almost every system of government is based upon today. Guilds were also established in this period.They were groups of people with the same skills. They met to control the economy by changing the price, quantity and quality. There are more of these 'guilds' today, as different 'associations' which control the price of raw materials.
The guilds in the Dark ages gave more power to ordinary workers and helped the representative government. Although not many scientific discoveries were made during the Middle ages, the study of alchemy helped later scientist to find scientific facts about each element and its usage.In architecture the Romanesque style was perfected through churches, which was later dominated by the Gothic style, which became the international mode of building in the future. In paintings, more detail was given to the emotional side and to nature.
Reading and writing became a very common skill as for the first time in the vernacular languages, written work was made public for leisure. Many writings dealt with the complexity of life and with romance. A lot of the cultural advancements established during the Middle ages can be seen today, often as the base of our culture.Many things changed during the Dark ages and that is why it is considered one of the most important period of time in History.
