In history class, there was a general concensus that, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Western Europe would not recover culturally or intellectually until the Renaissance. Is this actually the case?

by KianOfPersia

Just a curious question I had. 1000 years seems like quite a long recovery.

Opinionated-Legate

This is, if I'm reading correctly, a view of the "Dark Ages" of Europe. This view of Europe after the fall of Rome is a very false one, as Europe didn't become some backwater sty with no advancement in science, language, philosophy or art just because Rome no longer existed.

There are a lot of great answers to this in the FAQ section, I've linked a couple here.

Answer 1

Answer 2

Answer 3

Take a stroll through the FAQ yourself if you'd like other answers, there's plenty there.