European Cities During The Dark Ages

Ethan, Ian, Kyle, and Luke

The Dark Ages of Europe, that lasted nearly 700 hundred years, tortured Europeans in many ways. Previous to Rome’s fall, a major gap created between the rich and poor due to oppressive taxation and inflation of prices caused lots of economic troubles for the Roman empire. Also, barbaric tribes constantly tried to attack Rome’s massive border that was extremely difficult for the Roman army to control thereby leading to the empire's collapse. Furthermore, political instability made being a Roman king seem to be like a death sentence due to the numerous amount of assassinations making it so no leader could take power and turn Rome around. Coincidentally, Rome happened to be very weak at the worst possible time. Soon
After the fall of the Roman empire, the civilizations in Europe were weak and vulnerable. The Vikings, Scandinavian natives, took this opportunity to gain riches, land, and a powerful reputation. The earliest attackers often struck monasteries brimming with treasures and stole specifically “heavy jewelry—neck rings, dress pins, armbands, and finger rings” because of their love for wealth and the finer things (The Vikings.pdf). The Vikings eventually used the land to build thriving new cities that are still important today in the modern world. Some cities they created include York, which inspired modern-day New York City, and Kiev, the modern day capital of Ukraine, which were used by the Vikings as large trading outposts. Furthermore, the Vikings colonized “large swaths of Great Britain, Iceland, and France, and established outposts in Greenland and North America” (The Vikings.pdf). Additionally, the Vikings were widely known for their forceful raids and how they plundered anything and anyone in their path in order to take control land. The Vikings common torture method to prove their barbarism is the Viking Blood Eagle Execution: “[T]he intended victim would be restrained, face down; next, the shape of an eagle with outstretched wings would be cut into his back. After that, his ribs would be hacked from his spine with an ax, one by one, and the bones and skin on both sides pulled outward to create a pair of “wings” from the man’s back” (Dash). This illustrates how the Dark Ages were truly dark because they terrorized and scarred Europe when it was starting to re-civilize after the fall of the Roman Empire. Even today, Europe is still trying to figure out how to re-approach this situation through the European Union in an effort to recreate a more civilized society throughout the