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The Middle Ages was the period of time from the fall of the [[Roman Empire]] until the [[Renaissance]]. It was a high point of the Christian faith.

 

The Middle Ages was the period of time from the fall of the [[Roman Empire]] until the [[Renaissance]].

 

The era was characterized by significant bloodshed, cruelty, and conflict.  Notable conflicts were between the [[British]] and the [[French]] in the [[Hundred Years' War]], the conquests of [[Charlemagne]], and several peasant revolts.  A conception of a modern [[nation-state]] did not exist; instead, nations were tied to their individual religions, and especially to the [[Pope]].  Small economies of scale developed throughout the Middle Ages, in the form of [[vassalage]] between a rich lord and his clients. The system was generally extremely repressive, and discouraged upward mobility.

 

Of the tragedies of the period, the [[Crusades]] come foremost in the mind, along with the [[Black Plague]], which wiped out one-third of the European population.<ref>McKay, Hill, and Buckler: a History of Western Society, 6th Ed.</ref>