Question

differnce between early medieval and later medieval history

Answer 1

These are historic terms in retrospect by post medieval modern western historians. If ancient times ended with the fall of Rome in Southern Europe it did not end until 1200 in Northern Europe, when the Viking Iron Age ended. By that time the renaissance had already started in Italian city states, and by 1550 it reached Sweden through the Reformation. And after that development shifted from South to North in modern times and grwing financial globalisation. But the terms reflect a West European perspective. What about East Europe and Russia? Byzantium was a continuation of ancient times during medieval times in the East? And the Russian Empire, which came out of a Viking Iron Age Kingdom and claims heritage to Constantinople? Is Russia a medieval construct from Ivan the Terrible, still based on Roman tactics, or when did it become modern? Peter the Great did import modern French art to his court, but not western philosophical, scientific or economic thought, and the Empire stayed feudal through the Russian modern literature of the 1800s. So maybe the modern period really starts with the Communist Revolution in Russia? And are we moving back to religious feudalism under Putin, or forwards towards modernity? The West is looking forwards while Russia and the Islamic world are looking back with religious nostalgia, and China and India and the rest of The World are all moving forwards economically with great speed and when it comes to human development. So the modern period has this double Edge since 19th century nationalism - looking back to an imagined glorious past while human development and globalisation is moving forward relentlessly.