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Dark Ages

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Submitted By lilnyki10
Words 793
Pages 4
Nicole Henson
Intro to Humanities
January 18, 2015
DeVry University
Professor Clarke-Peterson

Outline/Proposal on Dark Ages
I. Introduction and Thesis
The Dark Ages refer to the medieval period in the studies of humanity. The general duration of the early Dark Ages is considered to be from 450-1000 century (CE). It is believed that the fall of Roman Empire brought about an age of “barbarism and religion” (Gibbon 18th CE). This era, compared to both the pre-dark ages and the post-dark ages, Renaissance, witnessed no significant scientific innovations, no great art produced, and no valiant emperors or leaders ruling the early medieval Europe (Middle Ages, n.d.). These are the major factors which led to the coining of the phrase Dark Ages by Petrarch, the great Italian scholar, in the 14th CE (Wikipedia). This proposal is about the vital role of flourishing Irish social order, in the Dark Ages, in the re-conversion of Europe to Christianity.

II. In the Dark Ages, when the entire Europe was reeling under barbarism, the Irish social order was flourishing. * The Romans had never invaded Ireland, and thus it remained unaffected by the downfall deteriorating the social order of rest of Europe (Eaton & McCaffrey, 2002). * While the entire Europe was victimized by the Dark Ages, the Irish monks were the torch-bearers of luminous beam of civilization (O’Connor & Steves, 2014). * In the Dark Ages, religion was one binding force that kept the hopes of people alive. While Barbarism was thriving in Europe, Ireland was flourishing under the monasteries. The Irish monks were the key men in enlivening Christianity in other parts of contemporary Europe.

III. While Christianity was losing its luster in Europe, in Ireland, it had developed into a different structural form, known as the monastic system. This system encouraged scholarships, and as a

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