Difference Between Middle Age and Medieval Age (With Table)

The term ‘Middle Age’ is also referred to as the Dark Age, is used when referring to the period between the 5th century BC and the 15th century BC of European history. This particular period is called Middle Age because it happened in between two other historical periods, Classical Antiquity( Classical Period) and the Italian Renaissance Period( Modern Period).

The term ‘Medieval’ or ‘ Medieval Age’ refers to the people, things, events, and places of the said period. The word medieval is derived from the Latin word ‘medium’ and ‘aevum’ which menace ‘the middle age’. Therefore, in general, it said medieval art, medieval scholar, medieval philosophy, etc rather than middle age art, middle-age scholar, or middle age philosophy.

Comparison Table Between Middle Age and Medieval Age

What is the Middle Age?

The Middle Age refers to the period of European history between the fall of the Roman empire which is called the end of the Classical Period and the rise of the Italian Renaissance also known as the beginning of the Modern Period. Sometimes, the middle age is also referred to as the Dark Age.

It is called the Dark Age because of a supposed lack of scientific and cultural Advancement. Scholars perceive Europe as having been plunged into darkness, after the fall of the Roman empire in 500AD. During this time the dominant political system was feudalism. The middle age itself is subdivided into the early middle age, the high middle age, and the late middle age.

The Early Middle Age witnessed the rise of the Islamic empire, the Byzantine empire in South Africa around the 7th century, the empire law code, the corpus juris civils in the northern Italian, in the 11th century, and the Carolingian empire in the 8th and the 9th century. There were substantial changes in society and political structure.

During the High Middle Age, there was a rise in the population of Europe, a rise in technology and agricultural innovations, there was a climatic change that allowed crop yield to increase trade which was flourished. The age began after 1000. The control of the Holy land and the Muslin began in late 1095.

After around 1300, the late middle age began which was made by the calamities and difficulties including plague, war, and famine which witnessed the fall of the population between 1347-1350. This period was named as the black death, killed about one-third of Europeans.

Apart from the historical part, the Middle Age also refers to the age of any individual between the age of fourteen and sixteen. In simple words, middle age refers to the age group of human individuals between 40 years to 60 years of age.

What is the Medieval Age?

Medieval age simply refers to the places, peoples, things, events that happened during the middle age that was supposed to begin after the fall of the roman empire which witnessed the end of the classical period of history and ended by the rise of the Italian renaissance that marked the beginning of the Modern period in history.

The term Medieval in the ‘Medieval Age’ is derived from two Latin words namely ‘aevum’ and ‘ medium’ which means ‘the middle age’ also known as the Dark Age. the word medieval is also used to refer to the unenlightened and old fashioned time, it is used to describe the things and events of the said period.

According to the Oxford dictionary, The word Medieval is an adjective, used to define the events and activities, the culture and tradition, the living standard and fashion of the peoples and places of the time when the printing or writing system was not invented for period knowledge of history.

Main Differences Between Middle and Medieval Age

1. The Middle Age refers to the period of European history between the fall of the Roman empire which is called the end of the Classical Period and the rise of the Italian Renaissance also known as the beginning of the Modern Period. While, Medieval age simply refers to the places, peoples, things, events that happened during the middle age that was supposed to begin after the fall of the roman empire which witnessed the end of the classical period of history and ended by the rise of the Italian renaissance that marked the beginning of the Modern period in history.
2. The middle-age is also referred to as the Dark Age. As against, The Medieval Age in its noun form is known as The Middle Age.
3. The middle-age is a Noun and the Medieval Age is an Adjective.
4. The term Middle Age is derived from the Latin word ‘Media tempest’. On the other hand, the term Middle Age is derived from the Latin word ‘Media tempest.’
5. A possible middle age example can be ‘The Gupta Dynasty.’ And, The Battle of Chandawar fought by Mohammad Ghori can be an example of the Medieval Age.

Conclusion

Both Middle Age a Medieval Age refer to the same historical period and both of these terms have the same literal meaning. According to English usage, middle-age is considered as nouns and the medieval age is considered as an adjective.

Although both these terms signify the end of the classical age and the beginning of the modern age, the middle age denotes the period from the 5th to 15th century while the medieval age refers to the events, people activities of that particular time period.

References

1. http://www.openbibart.fr/item/display/10068/1079634
2. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=RnLg9UCV_0UC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=late+middle+ages+art+of+devotion&ots=tU408lm_fK&sig=fqLgdz7-xyRlBUJ44KkgtLCuzug