The Middle Ages of
European history (adjective form
medieval or mediaeval) are a period
in history which lasted for roughly
a
millennium, commonly dated from
the
fall of the Western Roman Empire
in the 5th century to the beginning
of the
Early Modern Period in the 16th
century, marked by the division of
Western
Christianity in the
Reformation, the rise of
humanism in the
Italian Renaissance, and the
beginnings of European overseas
expansion. There is some variation
in the dating of the edges of these
periods which is due mainly to
differences in specialization and
focus of individual scholars.
Source of quote and
pictures:
Wikipedia