Why were the dark ages called "dark"?

The Dark Ages, rarely used by historians, refers to a period 500-600 AD where there was no Roman Emperor in the west, an absence of city life in Europe, and a general movement or migration of Barbarians into what had been the western Roman Empire. 'Dark' has been applied to the period because of the apparent absence of Art, Music and culture, which re-surfaced in the subsequent medieval period.

In fact, there was creative activity, such as the innovative work by the Venerable Bede, but with no-one in the west to record achievements it is as though nothing cultural occurred for a half century. Only the Chinese seemed to be recorders during this period.

There were actually several countries that have Dark Ages. The most prominent one that many people refer to is the Dark Ages to the Middle Ages. The term dark refers to the problems and sadness that occurred during this time. One instance that was a problem was when the Roman Empire fell. Also, the main religions in England were having problems with the reformations.

Many people were against the high priests in the English Church. At this time, you could not go against the priests or popes even if they were collecting money from poor people. Therefore, people were in a sense striking against the religion. This formed other religions but it put people’s lives in danger. After this dark ages, enlightenment followed.