The Middle Ages is the name given to the period of European history between the end of antiquity and the beginning of the early modern period. The start is conventionally placed in 476, when the last Western Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was deposed, and the end in 1492, the year of Columbus's first voyage, though historians use other dates and these boundaries are only conventions. The era is usually divided into the early, high and late Middle Ages. In this time the Christian Church became the central institution of Western society, feudal relationships structured political life, and monasteries, cathedrals and universities developed. Major events included the Viking raids, the Crusades and the Black Death of the fourteenth century, which killed a large share of Europe's population. The name reflects a later view of the period as lying between the classical world and modern times.
Before and after
- 12 May 454 CEBirth of Theodoric the Great
- c. 455 CEOrigins of Tbilisi
- from 2 June 455 CE to 16 June 455 CEThe Vandals sack Rome
- 476 CEBirth of Aryabhata
- from 476 CE to 1492Middle Ages
- from 476 CE to 718 CEVisigothic Kingdom
- from 476 CE to 900 CEEarly Middle Ages
- 476 CEFall of the western Roman Empire
- 480 CEBirth of Boethius
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- c. 1,200 BCEIron Age
- c. 700s BCEConstruction of Great Wall of China
- 6th century BCEConstruction of Parthenon
- from 206 BCE to 220 CEHan dynasty
- 19 BCEConstruction of Western Wall
- 81 CEConstruction of Colosseum
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 5th century.