The Dark Ages: people once thought of the Early Middle Ages as a time of little progress. A new TV program explores why.

Historians once called the 500 years after the fall of the Roman Empire "the Dark Ages." Scholars had few surviving documents of the time, which kept them "in the dark" about keg events.

Today, however, new studies and discoveries are telling us much more about the period. Historians now consider it a time of momentous, long-lasting changes. Warrior kings of Europe were battling over territory, carving new borders. Meanwhile, a new faith--Christianity--was spreading. Many long-suffering peasants saw it as a pathway to salvation after their hard lives.

How much do we know about a period that historians now call the Early Middle Ages? The History Channel will explore that question in a special called The Dark Ages, airing on March 4 at 9 p.m. Eastern Time. You don't have to wait until then, though. Here are some medieval movers and shakers*--and a glimpse of life as it was.

REVENGE OF THE VISIGOTHS

In 408, Visigoth warriors laid siege to Rome. After two years, they roared in, looting and humbling the once-mighty city

For more than 500 years, Rome was the powerful center of a vast empire. But by the early 5th century A.D., its influence had shrunk considerably. Then came the Visigoths, powerful Germanic tribes from the north.

At one time, Visigoth warriors had served as part of the Roman Army. But Alaric, King of the Visigoths, claimed that Rome had not fulfilled its promises of support. The Visigoths slashed their way across Europe, heading for the heart of the empire. In 408, they reached the walls of Rome. Alaric demanded land and supplies of the Romans. Three times, he blockaded the city while terrified Romans negotiated with him. Finally, in 410, the Visigoths burst in. For three days, they sacked the city, stripping it of its riches. For the first time in nearly 800 years of domination, Rome had been vanquished by an enemy.

The PLAGUE OF JUSTINIAN 

When a rat-borne plague struck the great city of Constantinople, nearly half the population was wiped out

A busy seaport, Constantinople (present-day Istanbul, Turkey) was the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Justinian, the Emperor, believed that he could bring some of the greatness of ancient Greece and Rome to his capital. But then, a silent and invisible enemy attacked--the bubonic plague.

In 542 A.D., people living and working close to Constantinople's busy ports began to fall ill. They suddenly came down with fever and chills. Soon, they were vomiting and suffering intense pain in the armpits and groin, and behind the ears. Tumors the size of eggs formed on their bodies, sometimes oozing pus. Within days, the victims were dead. The plague wiped out tens of thousands of people--25 to 50 percent of the city's population.

Fleas carried the disease, and rats carried the fleas. They arrived aboard ships. Justinian suspended all trade into and out of the city. But the disease that some people called "the plague of Justinian" could not be stopped. For nearly half a century, it spread westward, devastating Europe. Plague victims dropped dead anywhere they happened to be--in streets, in the fields, at home.

Wherever the plague struck, roughly half the population died. It took hundreds of years for Europe--both the people and the economy--to recover.

A LONELY LIGHT

During his lifetime, Bede wrote histories and collected thousands of books. Almost single-handedly, the studious monk preserved centuries' worth of knowledge for the future

Illness and fear led people to lock themselves indoors or abandon their farms. Some fled from half-empty towns to live deep in the wilderness.

Half of all children died of disease and starvation before reaching age 12. Kids worked as hard and suffered as much as adults. Education was almost completely forgotten.

Yet even in those terrible times, a few people were keeping the light of knowledge safe for the future. One of them was Bede (BEED), an English monk.

Monasteries were the only institutions of learning left. Some monks spent their entire lives copying and preserving books--considered rare and precious things. The printing press had not been invented yet, so every single book had to be copied by hand. Bede amassed thousands of them. He also wrote books of his own. (It was Bede who started using A.D. to date events after the birth of Christ.) Bede's histories and biographies remain a major source of our knowledge of life in England before and during his time. More than 11 centuries after his death, the Catholic Church declared the monk Saint Bede the Venerable (worthy of respect).

A VAST NEW EMPIRE

At age 24, Charlemagne (SHAR-luh-mayn) became King of the Franks, a people who lived in part of what is modern-day France. By the time he died at age 66, he was known as Europae Pater, "father of Europe."

When Charlemagne took power in 771 A.D., Europe was much the same as it had been since the plague of two centuries earlier. Most people were still desperately poor. Few could read or write.

Charlemagne was both a warrior and a Christian. For most of his reign, he led armies into battle, pushing the borders of his kingdom farther north, south, and east. He expected people he conquered to swear loyalty--and become observant Christians. Any who resisted were killed. In some places, entire villages were slaughtered.

Once in control, Charlemagne instituted major changes. He rewarded loyal nobles with land. They, in turn, were expected to encourage trade and protect peasants. He also opened schools to spread religious teachings as well as reading and writing.

In 800 A.D., Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne Emperor--and official guardian of the Catholic Church.

NOT THE LAST WORD

During the 13th and 14th centuries, Europe entered a new age, known as the Renaissance (rebirth). Great advances were made in science, mathematics, and the arts.

When Petrarch, a Renaissance scholar and poet, looked into the past, all he saw were "darkness and the night of error." But as more documents and artifacts of the Early Middle Ages are found and studied, a clearer picture emerges.

Brett Whalen, a professor at the University of North Carolina, is one of the historians interviewed in the History Channel program. "This was a time when you see the landscape of Europe as we think of it today," he says. "Christianity [was] coming to encompass all of Northern Europe, with ... important places [taking shape], like Paris and London. These things all have their roots in the era that we call 'the Dark Ages.'"

--Crystal Proenza & Kathy Wilmore

THE GREAT HEATHEN ARMY 

The "Great Heathen Army" of Ivar the Boneless was one of many Viking bands that terrorized Europe. Any place within reach of Viking longships was in peril--especially England, surrounded by seas.

About 793, bands of Norse raiders from Sweden, Norway, and Denmark began striking along the coasts and rivers south of their homelands. One of the most feared Viking chiefs was Ivar the Boneless. (The name may have come from Ivar's inability to walk, due to a deformity or injury to his legs. His men carried him around on a shield.)

Like most Norsemen, Ivar and his followers were expert sailors and ferocious fighters. A Viking attack was sudden and shockingly fast. Huge wooden longships swept to shore, and Vikings leaped off. Within minutes, the pirates were hacking and stabbing their way into a village, grabbing all the treasure they could find.

They thought nothing of killing whoever stood in their way. What they didn't take, they often wrecked or burned. Then they returned to their ships, on to the next target. At first, Vikings robbed towns and villages along seacoasts and rivers. In time, though, they started fighting their way inland. For nearly 200 years, the Vikings seemed unstoppable.

* Think About It

1. If you had to live in one of the five periods described here, which would it be? Why?

2. If you were choosing a name to replace "Dark Ages," what would it be? Explain.