Just watched the Dark Ages from the History Channel. It was very well done and held my interest.However,I detected a serious historical error.Specifically, it stated with colored map that Poland was invaded and made part of Charlamagne's Empire.While some western Slavs on the west side of the Oder were subdued and became allies of Charlamagne ( Sorbs and Wilzians) ,which is now Germany,Charlamagne never conquered the land east of the Oder river which is now present day Poland. In the interests of accuracy I point out this error.Charlamagne Christianized mostly all of Western and Central Europe up to the Oder river by 813 but Poland remained pagan until the 10th century. Dr Marc
7 Reviews
A lot of information to cram into one film.
planktonrules17 March 2012
Considering that the film covers a period spanning many centuries, it's amazing that they thought they could cram it all into two hours, but the History Channel has tried! And, overall, it achieves a lot in less than two hours. However, to adequately encompass the Middle Ages, a series would seem in order, as the show was a bit episodic and moved way too fast.
When the show begins, it's still the Roman era--one that the film seems to overly romanticize. Sure, it was advanced and organized--but it was also brutal and just plain evil. So, when Rome fell, I thought it was interesting that this was seen as a bad thing--as they had enslaved the civilized world. The show then jumps a bit in history to discuss the major events of the next 700 or so years. It hits most of the biggies such as Charlemagne, the Battle of Tours, plagues and the Vikings. It ends with the Crusades--an attempt by the Church to channel the cruel knights into more productive work.
There were some things I really liked about the show. A few of the comments by the historians were pretty funny, such as the remark about a Viking named 'Skull-Splitter' as well as their accurate assessment of the role of knights (they were NOT chivalrous or gallant in the least). I also liked that the Vikings were not shown wearing horned helmets (a common myth). A few things I was less thrilled about was how sketchy the show was, how it never really talked about the life of folks during this time as well as it portraying the Battle of Tours--with what seems like about 30 men (when it actually had an estimated 60000 soldiers in the fight). Not perfect but if you MUST see 700 years of history shoved into less than two hours, it does about as good a job as you could expect.
When the show begins, it's still the Roman era--one that the film seems to overly romanticize. Sure, it was advanced and organized--but it was also brutal and just plain evil. So, when Rome fell, I thought it was interesting that this was seen as a bad thing--as they had enslaved the civilized world. The show then jumps a bit in history to discuss the major events of the next 700 or so years. It hits most of the biggies such as Charlemagne, the Battle of Tours, plagues and the Vikings. It ends with the Crusades--an attempt by the Church to channel the cruel knights into more productive work.
There were some things I really liked about the show. A few of the comments by the historians were pretty funny, such as the remark about a Viking named 'Skull-Splitter' as well as their accurate assessment of the role of knights (they were NOT chivalrous or gallant in the least). I also liked that the Vikings were not shown wearing horned helmets (a common myth). A few things I was less thrilled about was how sketchy the show was, how it never really talked about the life of folks during this time as well as it portraying the Battle of Tours--with what seems like about 30 men (when it actually had an estimated 60000 soldiers in the fight). Not perfect but if you MUST see 700 years of history shoved into less than two hours, it does about as good a job as you could expect.
Missing Crucial Viking Information
crw6314 September 2011
First let me say that this is a good documentary with accurate costumes and settings.
The film leaves one believing that the Vikings simply retreated from Alfred "The Great" because of his defense mechanisms and no longer played a role in this part of history. While the raids on southern England did abate, Vikings continued to plunder northern Britain and northwest France.
Left out of the documentary was the assimilation of the Vikings into Normandy with the Rollo and Charles "The Simple" agreement. In exchange for peace, the northwest portion of France was given to the Vikings with the condition that they also convert to Christianity. The six Dukes of Normandy were not even mentioned although they played a crucial role during this time period.
This Viking settlement in northwest France ultimately led to the Battle of Hastings with William "The Conqueror" (a Viking descendant) defeating King Harold Godwinson to become the ruler of England. It is worth mentioning that immediately before the Battle of Hastings that Harold was fighting Viking marauders in northern England and his troops were probably somewhat battle worn and the battle may have had an entirely different outcome had this not been the case. I have wondered if it was possible that William may have planned the northern attack with his northern brethren to wear Harold down before the Battle of Hastings took place.
All of this information was omitted with the documentary jumping from Alfred "The Great" directly to the Crusades, leaving out a lot of extremely relevant history that helped bring about the Crusades and the knowledge to end the Dark Ages.
The film leaves one believing that the Vikings simply retreated from Alfred "The Great" because of his defense mechanisms and no longer played a role in this part of history. While the raids on southern England did abate, Vikings continued to plunder northern Britain and northwest France.
Left out of the documentary was the assimilation of the Vikings into Normandy with the Rollo and Charles "The Simple" agreement. In exchange for peace, the northwest portion of France was given to the Vikings with the condition that they also convert to Christianity. The six Dukes of Normandy were not even mentioned although they played a crucial role during this time period.
This Viking settlement in northwest France ultimately led to the Battle of Hastings with William "The Conqueror" (a Viking descendant) defeating King Harold Godwinson to become the ruler of England. It is worth mentioning that immediately before the Battle of Hastings that Harold was fighting Viking marauders in northern England and his troops were probably somewhat battle worn and the battle may have had an entirely different outcome had this not been the case. I have wondered if it was possible that William may have planned the northern attack with his northern brethren to wear Harold down before the Battle of Hastings took place.
All of this information was omitted with the documentary jumping from Alfred "The Great" directly to the Crusades, leaving out a lot of extremely relevant history that helped bring about the Crusades and the knowledge to end the Dark Ages.
History probably like you've never known.
michaelRokeefe7 October 2010
Warning: Spoilers
The History Channel presents an info packed documentary delving into one of the most mysterious periods in world history...the Dark Ages. Narrator RJ Allison and astute re-enactments bring light to the Roman Empire falling to the hands of raiding barbarians. There is the beginning of the Catholic Church and the stirrings of its corruption. There is the endurance of the Crusades, the unpleasantness put on society suffering the Bubonic Plague, famine and greedy interloping rulers; and there's the Holy Wars and the bravado of the Vikings. The known world can only get ready for the Renaissance. Recommended for the classroom where appropriate.
murder was nothing; everybody killed someone (but in some ways, things haven't changed much)
lee_eisenberg13 March 2007
We've probably all heard of the period in European history between the Roman Empire and the Renaissance. But unless we see this documentary, we can't even begin to understand how unpleasant it was (and what we see here is probably tame compared to how things really were). "The Dark Ages" shows how Rome's collapse led to the balkanization of Europe and the rise of the Catholic Church, then the Holy Roman Empire and the Vikings, and all the while a semi-successor to Rome was going on in Constantinople. Not to mention the Bubonic Plague.
There is a brief look at how the Catholic Church and the monarchs were intent on forcing their religion on conquered people, but I think that the documentary could have looked more at how vile the Catholic Church got in its full-scale corruption. But the part about the Crusades was well done, in that it showed how the soldiers went over there with the aim of conquering the region but found a more advanced society (the Arabs were keeping alive the knowledge that the Catholic Church suppressed in Europe).
Anyway, we get a sense of how the Dark Ages - or Middle Ages, if you want to call them that - led to the Renaissance. Hearing about some of what happened during the Dark Ages, it seems like in some ways, things haven't gotten much better: we still have wars, oppression, and disease. Can technological advancements really mean anything? Overall, I recommend this documentary.
There is a brief look at how the Catholic Church and the monarchs were intent on forcing their religion on conquered people, but I think that the documentary could have looked more at how vile the Catholic Church got in its full-scale corruption. But the part about the Crusades was well done, in that it showed how the soldiers went over there with the aim of conquering the region but found a more advanced society (the Arabs were keeping alive the knowledge that the Catholic Church suppressed in Europe).
Anyway, we get a sense of how the Dark Ages - or Middle Ages, if you want to call them that - led to the Renaissance. Hearing about some of what happened during the Dark Ages, it seems like in some ways, things haven't gotten much better: we still have wars, oppression, and disease. Can technological advancements really mean anything? Overall, I recommend this documentary.
It Was A Dark And Stormy Millennium.
rmax30482329 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
The Roman Empire imploded around 470, overrun by bands of barbarians from the north. With the dissolution of Roman law, there WAS no law except that which could be imposed by local warlords. The continent of Europe was fractured -- no Germany, no France, no England, no nothing. The sole unifying force during this period was Christianity. Christians were no longer thrown to the lions. Instead the religion had spread rapidly after its adoption by the Roman emperor Constantine in the midst of a battle. So it became a kind of good-luck ideology among the regional despots. If it was good for Constantine, it might be good for me. And besides, ordinary people were now scratching the earth to make a living. It was a miserable existence, and here was a religion that promised a peaceful afterlife. How nice.
Christianity failed to bring about peace, though. Instead it became a motivating force behind battles, which were now turned into "Holy Wars." If I can say it here, new religions often appear just in time to support the prevailing geopolitical and economic sentiments. The sociologist Max Weber has convincingly shown how the Protestant Ethic provided the ideological foundations for capitalism.
But while the Latinate West fell apart, the Greek East maintained its identity as part of the Roman Empire. The Emperor Justinian led an army to fill the power vacuum in Western Europe. He pretty much did it too. He ruled most of Italy, northern Africa, Turkey, and the Middle East, and turned the Mediterranean back into a "mare nostrum." He was also brutal and thoroughly corrupt and had married a beautiful hooker but Justinian created the Byzantine Empire with its distinctive architectural domes. He was responsible for the construction of the Hagia Sofia in Constantinople (now Istanbul). His ambitions were knee-capped in 540 AD by an epidemic of the black plague, a disease caused by fleas hopping off imported rats, biting people, and infecting them with a rod-shaped bacillus called Yersinia pestis. It killed half the population of Constantinople and reached as far as Britain and Ireland. Justinian failed to restore the original empire. After his death, around 700 AD, the conquered territory was given up and the Dark Ages became even darker.
The Moslems invaded fractured Europe, took all of Spain and most of France until they were defeated by Charles ("The Hammer") Martel, aided by Frank ("The Enforcer") Nitti. Charles the Hammer had a grandson, Charlegmagne, who united much of Europe and proclaimed himself emperor. He spread his sperm around with such profligacy that a recent study estimated that most of Europe and America had some Charlemagne in their blood. He promoted reforms and ruled a kingdom from the North Sea to Italy, but he was brutal too. The sentence was death for anyone who was caught worshiping a pagan God, cremating a body instead of burying it, or had not been baptized. He realized that education was needed to improve the quality of life. Everyone except the monks was illiterate. Charlemagne devoted himself to learning the alphabet which was not typical of warriors, and this may have begun the Western undercurrent of anti-intellectualism or, as John Wayne put it, "Talkin' words is fer WIMMIN." The program goes on to describe the raids of the Vikings, who brought nothing of importance to the rest of Europe except mobilization. Nothing about the Normans. With the end of the Vikings, there were a lot of footloose soldiers with a lot of energy. They turned their attention to the Middle East and began the Crusades. The Crusades captured no territory but brought back with them the knowledge that the Moslems had acquired over the years -- medicine, surgery, astronomy, algebra, Aristotle, architecture, technology, and soap. All of this influx of knowledge brought about an intellectual revolution and paved the way for the end of the Dark Ages and the beginning of the Rennaissance.
It's mostly about politics and war, with an emphasis on famous leaders like Justinian and Clovis. The daily life of the people is only alluded to once in a while, and there is nothing about the development of philosophy -- partly because there was so little of it -- and even the diverse beliefs of Christians is given short shrift.
Christianity failed to bring about peace, though. Instead it became a motivating force behind battles, which were now turned into "Holy Wars." If I can say it here, new religions often appear just in time to support the prevailing geopolitical and economic sentiments. The sociologist Max Weber has convincingly shown how the Protestant Ethic provided the ideological foundations for capitalism.
But while the Latinate West fell apart, the Greek East maintained its identity as part of the Roman Empire. The Emperor Justinian led an army to fill the power vacuum in Western Europe. He pretty much did it too. He ruled most of Italy, northern Africa, Turkey, and the Middle East, and turned the Mediterranean back into a "mare nostrum." He was also brutal and thoroughly corrupt and had married a beautiful hooker but Justinian created the Byzantine Empire with its distinctive architectural domes. He was responsible for the construction of the Hagia Sofia in Constantinople (now Istanbul). His ambitions were knee-capped in 540 AD by an epidemic of the black plague, a disease caused by fleas hopping off imported rats, biting people, and infecting them with a rod-shaped bacillus called Yersinia pestis. It killed half the population of Constantinople and reached as far as Britain and Ireland. Justinian failed to restore the original empire. After his death, around 700 AD, the conquered territory was given up and the Dark Ages became even darker.
The Moslems invaded fractured Europe, took all of Spain and most of France until they were defeated by Charles ("The Hammer") Martel, aided by Frank ("The Enforcer") Nitti. Charles the Hammer had a grandson, Charlegmagne, who united much of Europe and proclaimed himself emperor. He spread his sperm around with such profligacy that a recent study estimated that most of Europe and America had some Charlemagne in their blood. He promoted reforms and ruled a kingdom from the North Sea to Italy, but he was brutal too. The sentence was death for anyone who was caught worshiping a pagan God, cremating a body instead of burying it, or had not been baptized. He realized that education was needed to improve the quality of life. Everyone except the monks was illiterate. Charlemagne devoted himself to learning the alphabet which was not typical of warriors, and this may have begun the Western undercurrent of anti-intellectualism or, as John Wayne put it, "Talkin' words is fer WIMMIN." The program goes on to describe the raids of the Vikings, who brought nothing of importance to the rest of Europe except mobilization. Nothing about the Normans. With the end of the Vikings, there were a lot of footloose soldiers with a lot of energy. They turned their attention to the Middle East and began the Crusades. The Crusades captured no territory but brought back with them the knowledge that the Moslems had acquired over the years -- medicine, surgery, astronomy, algebra, Aristotle, architecture, technology, and soap. All of this influx of knowledge brought about an intellectual revolution and paved the way for the end of the Dark Ages and the beginning of the Rennaissance.
It's mostly about politics and war, with an emphasis on famous leaders like Justinian and Clovis. The daily life of the people is only alluded to once in a while, and there is nothing about the development of philosophy -- partly because there was so little of it -- and even the diverse beliefs of Christians is given short shrift.
An Honest Review
generationofswine6 January 2020
This was back when the History Channel was really good wasn't it? Now it's only Ancient Aliens, pure conjuncture, and reality television when History International turning into H2 and then fading into ID and endless murders.
And now we have History Vault, which isn't polished at all, renames and re-bundles things, and is only slightly better than the current History Channel... except I just watched a documentary about the Dark Ages on History Vault and they did a good job of blaming Byzantium for NOT allowing the Muslims to invade, pillage, and conqure Constantinople without a fight.
Oh how it's fallen.
This isn't the Fallen though, this is actually good. It's epically good.
It's the kind of Good that ranks up their with Land of the Tsars and all the other great documentaries that History used to put out once upon a time when it was a fantastic channel.
And now we have History Vault, which isn't polished at all, renames and re-bundles things, and is only slightly better than the current History Channel... except I just watched a documentary about the Dark Ages on History Vault and they did a good job of blaming Byzantium for NOT allowing the Muslims to invade, pillage, and conqure Constantinople without a fight.
Oh how it's fallen.
This isn't the Fallen though, this is actually good. It's epically good.
It's the kind of Good that ranks up their with Land of the Tsars and all the other great documentaries that History used to put out once upon a time when it was a fantastic channel.
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