Not Actually the Dark Ages

Calling the medieval period the "Dark Ages" is historically lazy. This era produced universities, Gothic architecture, the Magna Carta, mechanical clocks, and eyeglasses. Farming advances like the heavy plow and three-field rotation roughly doubled food production.

The real darkness was selective. If you were a wealthy Christian man, medieval Europe offered education, art, and opportunity. If you were a woman, a Jew, a Muslim, or a serf, the same society could be a grinding nightmare.