THE DARK AGES AND THE CRUSADES
THE DARK AGES
The Early Middle Ages are sometimes referred to as the “Dark Ages”. This term applies generally to the years 500 to 1000 of the current era, the period following the collapse of the Roman Empire. The Dark Ages were a time of warfare, intellectual stagnation, urban decline,and barbarity.
During the Dark Ages, most of European Jews became townspeople. Their principal occupations were as merchants and money lenders. In Seventh-Century Spain, many laws were instituted to punish Jews for practicing Judaism. In other parts of Western Europe, Jews were tolerated because of their importance as international and local merchants. In 1012, however, the Jews were expelled from the city of Mainz (in today’s Germany).
