The Middle Ages began around 500 AD, after the collapse of the western half of the Roman Empire. They lasted until around 1400 AD and are referred to as a period of time that saw violence due to barbarian invasion, feudalism, disease and strong feelings of faith. The Middle Ages, the Age of Feudalism and the Age of Faith are all appropriate titles, however the label that best fits is the Age of Faith due to the political, economic and social influence the church had. The Middle Ages are often identified as the Dark Ages due to the Black Death, invasions of Barbarians, and the lack of enlightenment on the part of the common people. A plague most likely originating in Asia spread throughout Europe. Cities and even large cities did not have waste collection or a sewage system and this caused crowded cities to become dirty and attract rats (OI). The Black Death caused social unrest and people pondered what was happening; many believed that God was punishing them while others argued that the Jews were to blame. With the Black Death taking over everyone's lives, there wasn't much educational achievement or progress during this time, as all focus was on trying to overcome the plague. After the fall of the Roman Empire, there was no stable centralized government in Rome. Several barbarian civilizations began invasions of Europe. According to historian Frantz Funk-Brentano they raided and destroyed villages, leaving people in terror. Brentano also stated that to avoid violence people tried to abandon their fields (Doc. 1). Churches and entire cities were burned; the city of Dordrecht was set on fire by barbarian tribes such as the Vikings, unleashing chaos (Doc.3). This has led people to abandon their lives……medium of paper……standing out in height and important compared to other structures present in inhabited centers (Doc.10). The church also issued a tithe tax, which represented 1/10 of a person's income to be allocated to the construction of churches, monasteries, convents, and universities (OI). The Church's control and influence over Western Europe was sometimes used for purposes of corruption and persuasion, but this was not only the case because it brought prosperity to the economy. The Middle Ages can also be called the Age of Faith because the main focus and purpose of life was to serve God and live righteously. It is possible to assign more than one title to the Middle Ages due to overlapping events, but the Age of Faith applied almost continuously to people's lives throughout the Middle Ages while other labels such as the Dark Ages and the Age of Feudalism represented certain periods. of it.