changed Midas’ ears into donkey ears.
#More to explore
Apollo • Mythology
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages was the period in
European history that came between
ancient and modern times. It lasted
from about AD 500 to about 1500. The
Christian church played an important
part in the history of the Middle Ages.
Early Middle Ages
The Middle Ages began when Germanic
tribes (peoples from northern Europe)
invaded the western part of the Roman
Empire. The tribes took over the land
and formed many small kingdoms.
The invaders also eventually converted
to Christianity, which had become the
major religion of Rome. The church
became the one thing that everyone had
in common. The pope was the head of
the Christian church. He and other
church leaders became very powerful.
Few people outside the church could
read or write during the early Middle
Ages. Religious communities called
monasteries therefore were centers of
learning.
The most successful king of this period
was Charlemagne. He ruled the Franks
in the region that is now France and
Germany. The pope crowned Charlemagne
emperor of the west in 800.
However, his heirs were too weak to
keep the empire—later called the Holy
Roman Empire—in one piece.
From the 800s to the 1000s, Viking
invaders attacked many parts of Europe.
The Vikings came from what are now
Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. They
made trouble for many rulers.
During the 1000s, Europeans developed
the feudal system to provide security.
Landowners called lords built castles.
They gave land to followers called
knights. In return, the lords called on
their knights to defend them in battle.
People called serfs or peasants actually
An illustration from a book made in the
Middle Ages shows workers building roads
outside a town.
122 Middle Ages BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
farmed the land. Serfs were not much
better off than slaves.
Later Middle Ages
Conditions improved in the 1100s.
People learned to grow more nutritious
food. Health improved, and the population
grew. Towns also grew, and trade
increased.
Europeans developed the Gothic style of
art and architecture. Christians built
stately cathedrals of stone with tall towers
and stained glass. Notre Dame in
Paris is a good example of a Gothic
cathedral. There was also a rebirth of
book learning. The first European universities
were founded in Bologna, Italy;
Paris, France; and other cities.
Between 1095 and 1291, Christian
kings and knights from all over Europe
participated in a series of Crusades in
the Middle East. They went to fight
Muslims for control of places that Christians
consider to be holy.
End of the Middle Ages
The last part of the Middle Ages was a
time of trouble. England and France
fought the Hundred Years’War between
1337 and 1453. A disease called the
Black Death (bubonic plague) killed
about one third of the people in Europe
between 1347 and 1351.
Various changes led to the end of the
Middle Ages. Feudalism weakened as
Spain, France, and England became
strong countries. Printing was invented
in about 1450. This meant that books
could be produced easily and in great
numbers. Many more people therefore
had access to books and could learn to
read. Soon the Renaissance, a time of
great learning and art, was in progress.
Europeans also learned of the Americas
in 1492. The discovery led to a new
understanding of the rest of the world. It
was the first stage of the modern age.
#More to explore
Castle • Cathedral • Charlemagne
• Christianity • Crusades • Europe
• Feudalism • Holy Roman Empire
• Knight • Plague • Renaissance • Rome,
Ancient • Vikings
Middle East
The Middle East is the region around
the southern and eastern shores of the
Mediterranean Sea. It includes the countries
that are located where the continents
of Europe, Asia, and Africa meet.
Geographers and historians do not
Middle Ages is
a term that
applies only to
Europe. It is
usually not
used in reference
to Asia,
Africa, or the
Americas.
The Chartres Cathedral in France is an
example of Gothic architecture.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Middle East 123
always agree on which countries should
be included in the Middle East. People
commonly include the following countries:
Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel,
Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi
Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the United Arab
Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait,
Egypt, Libya, and Sudan.
People
Many people of the region are Arabs.
Their main language is Arabic. However,
many other peoples also live in the
Middle East. They speak many different
languages. Turks in Turkey speak Turkish.
Persians in Iran speak Farsi, or Persian.
Jews in Israel speak Hebrew.
Most people in the Middle East follow
Islam. But Christianity is common in
Lebanon, Egypt, and Syria. Judaism is
the main religion in Israel.
Economy
The Middle East contains more than
half of the world’s petroleum, or oil.
The sale of oil has made several Middle
Eastern countries very rich. Farming is
also important to many countries in the
region.
History
Great civilizations arose in the Middle
East thousands of years ago. The Egyptian
and Mesopotamian civilizations
were two of the earliest. (Mesopotamia
