The Middle Ages or Medieval is the historical period of Western civilization between the 5th and 15th centuries.
Its beginning is in the year 476, the year of the fall of the Western Roman Empire, and its end in 1492, the year in which Columbus arrived in America.
The Middle Ages is divided into three stages: the Early Middle Ages, the High Middle Ages, and the Late Middle Ages.
The late Middle Ages was a period characterized by increased agricultural productivity, the resurgence of medium and long-distance trade, the repopulation of cities, and Christian pilgrimages to holy places.
We are facing the disintegration of what was the Western Roman Empire. Added to this, the baggage contributed by the invading Germanic peoples and new forms of social organization in development.
The High Middle Ages is the sub-period of European history that spans from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to about the year 1000, at which time there is a major economic and cultural revival in the Old World.