Atheism is getting popular these days—it’s sort of becoming cool. But any good non-believer knows to recognize the historical significance of the Catholic Church, especially after the fall of the Western Empire. This period is known as the Dark Ages.
The Middle Ages go from around 500 to 1500 AD—it’s the first 500 that were considered dark. This was a time of small kingdoms warring against nomadic tribes and other small kingdoms. And without centralized control being provided by Rome, the only thing keeping it together was the Church.
After the fall, what we know of Europe became a mess. Literacy took a nosedive and violence erupted everywhere. Why? Because without law and order people take matters into their own hands. Us modern folk complain about the role of government but without a police department, registries for property, some sort of centralized military, and departments for things like taxation, societies tend to fall apart.
War
Many believe old time rulers were greedy but that wasn’t always the case. Often the objective was plunder. Victors stole gold, silver, wheat, and land for personal survival. As a matter of fact, that’s how most armies got paid. Why else would anyone take such risk? Soldiers would often receive a share of the bounty or something substantive as a reward.
The other reason was fear. In the words of Alcibiades, it’s rule or be ruled. So if you’re not conniving against your neighbour, they’re conniving against you. Even at home, regular folk were always edgy about riders in the night. Personal safety is a major concern of happiness. Without it, societies tend to get nervy. And that’s how it was after the loss of Rome.
Faith
Buddhism and Confucianism were both devised around 500 BC. Almost 900 years before the construction of the Catholic Church. They provide ways of accepting the circumstance of humanity—the human condition—but neither identifies nor tries to explain a higher power. These systems deal only with introspection to find meaning. Perfect for the poor but ineffective with rulers of the day.
Sure many thought the thoughts but neither hosted a sophisticated organization like the Catholics. They didn’t have the wingspan of churches and monasteries. Why? Because this religion of Rome was different. Like the empire itself, it was administratively organized and things were clear from the start that this institution would participate alongside power.
Catholicism
In addition to stories about Jesus, Catholicism is the merger of the old Jewish faith with philosophies of the Greeks. It kept the monster god of the Old Testament (for fear) and added a more loving one that speaks of thy neighbour. This dualism of love and fear connects with our innermost instincts, plus the guy could perform miracles. Perfect for a spooky time.
Bishops and kings debated like peers and the church really did comfort the weak. As a result, it was greatly respected. Monasteries were the only stable locations of learning and priests were generally considered the smartest guy in town. And don’t kid yourself, these teachings got into your head.
The psychological presence of Christianity was powerful, no matter your position. A good example comes by way of France. The queen of a small kingdom lost two sons to dysentery and blamed the tragedy on her selfish ways. She proceeded to burn the records of all those who owed the king money. Later, in an attempt at atonement, they both became generous to the poor. So from a tactical perspective, this religion was brilliant. It provided multiple levers for different situations. As one historian puts it, “this period wasn’t the rise of Christianity, it was the use of it.”
Genres
This time also marked the end of the Mediterranean as being somewhat homogeneous. Prior to, most everyone was the same. Augustus would travel to Egypt on a regular basis. But after the fall, regions developed personalities. You had the Northern Europeans of Germany and the Franks (French), Scandinavian countries with Vikings, and Byzantine went through its own challenges. And though the story of Charlemagne is interesting, the empire of Islam accomplished the most.
Spirituality aside, Muhammad made desert people see something larger than themselves. Saudi was a land of nomads constantly fighting among tribes. So the region was going nowhere. Then he created a belief system, not much different than Judaism or Christianity, and it unified a nation. Power then turned this natural belligerence into a caliphate that spread eastward to India and as far west as Spain. Over time they brought forward many achievements. The scientific knowledge of Greece was translated into Arabic and numbers were imported from India. They enhanced trigonometry, devised decimal fractions and square roots, created pi to 16 decimal positions, and invented algebra. They also bettered astronomy, medicine, and geography. So thanks go to Mecca.
Summary
Studying antiquity is like listening to music from the 1950s. After a while it all sounds the same. Learning about the Middle Ages is more like sounds from the 60s. There were genres and weird things going on. The fall of Rome was similar to the removal of Saddam in Iraq, there was chaos in the streets. Multiple groups clamoured for control and you never knew who to believe. With no police force or public registries, it was a basic disaster. The only constant was the Church.
The Dark Ages ended with the introduction of feudalism. Economies were getting stronger and something new could now work. The best example is William the Conqueror in Britain. After defeating the current monarch in 1066, Billy decreed that all land was now his and taxed out large portions to barons, who could re-rent them for a profit. In return they gave him a standing army. Shared power was starting to take shape. 150 years later, King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta, limiting his power to raise taxes. Another step forward, at least in the West.
In closing, though many choose to see the negative side of faith, the psychological perspectives were perfect for this time. Dogma aside, organized religion provides a moral compass and fills in when government is gone. And frankly, I think we still need it today. There’s nothing wrong with a little fear to keep you on the straight and narrow, or virtual love to get you through the day. Even if it does come from a little man in the sky.
Note: Information for this article was taken from a free online course provided by Yale University.