like Charlemagne, the king of the Franks and Alfred the Great, the king of England, brought some enlightenment. Further, Constantinople, the seat of the Eastern Roman Empire, continued to shed the light of civilization and culture. During the sixth century, Arabia shot into prominence under the new religion of Islam. The Arabs were galvanized into a mighty power that conquered country after country, thus building up a large Islamic empire. 1.5 The Medieval Period The Medieval period began in Europe with the end of the Dark Age and thus law and order was restored. It lasted from the 11th century to the 14th century Europe, which had experienced anarchy during the Dark Age, gradually recovered and built a new culture, which was a combination of the features of the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome, and those of the life of the barbarians. Christianity played an important role in the generation of medieval European civilization, which had several achievements. Feudalism, an organization based on land tenure, was an important feature of this period. During the Middle Ages, there was the growth of a national identity in Europe. Nations like England, France, Hungary, Denmark, Norway and others sprung into being. At this time, guilds were organized in cities and town. The church provided spiritual food to the people and rendered useful social service. Liberal arts were studied and universities were established. A vast mass of literature was produced in Latin and in the vernaculars. New styles of art and architecture developed and much progress was achieved in Science. Thus, during this formative period, Europe and Asia fell victims to the cruel nomadic hordes of the Mongols. The Mongol rule established a link between the east and the west thus Europe was enriched by the impact of the Chinese civilization. The Ottoman Turks became prominent in the 11th century. The Turks had a great ambition to conquer Constantinople and in 1453, Sultan Muha...
