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There has been renewed interest in the Middle Ages because of parallels to events in the present: History of Science and Antiscience, the Black Death and the COVID-19 Pandemic, Feudalism and Neo-Feudalism (Techno-Feudalism), Dark Ages and Societal Collapse, the Hundred Year's War and Perpetual War, Late Capitalism and Crisis of the Late Middle Ages, Ecosystem Collapse and Medieval Warm Period to the Little Ice Age, the Rise of Islam and  etc., etc.

This blog is devoted to State Space models of the Middle Ages. See the Boiler Plate for descriptions of data sources, how the models were constructed (estimated) and periodization.

The Malthusian Model and Unified Growth Theory provide important theoretical explanations for the Middle Ages.

Below are links for relevant Wikipedia pages on the Middle Ages and references.

References

Ungerman, Katya (2026) We Are Sliding Back Into the Middle Ages.

Galor, Oded (2005). From Stagnation to Growth: Unified Growth Theory. In: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (eds.).

Galor and Weil (2005)  From Malthusian Stagnation to Modern Growth.

Wallerstein, I. (2003) The Decline of American Power: the U.S. in a Chaotic World.

Galor, Oded (2011). Unified Growth Theory. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 

Boulding, K. (1955) The Malthusian Model as a General System

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Wikipedia

Middle Ages the medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to late 15th centuries, comparable with the post-classical period of global history. 

Rise of Islam an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran and the teachings of Muhammad. The religion's adherents, called Muslims, are estimated to number 2 billion worldwide and are the world's second-largest religious population after Christians.

War on Terror a global military campaign initiated by the United States in response to the September 11 attacks in 2001.

Crisis of the Late Middle Ages  a series of events across Europe during the late Middle Ages. These events involved extensive demographic collapse, political instability, and religious upheaval. Collectively, they marked an end to a centuries-long period of relative stability in Europe, and reshaped regional societies. This crisis period coincides with a shift in the regional climate from the Medieval Warm Period to the Little Ice Age.

Dark Ages a term, now deprecated by most historians, for the Early Middle Ages (c. 5th–10th centuries), or occasionally the entire Middle Ages (c. 5th–15th centuries), in Western Europe after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, which characterises it as marked by economic, intellectual, and cultural decline.

Societal Collapse the fall of a complex human society characterized by the loss of cultural identity and of social complexity as an adaptive system, the downfall of government, and the rise of violence.

Nationalism in the Middle Ages Several scholars of nationalism support the existence of nationalism in the Middle Ages, mainly in Europe.

Christianity in the Middle Ages the history of Christianity from the fall of the Western Roman Empire (c. 476). The end of the period is variously defined - depending on the context, events such as the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Empire in 1453, Christopher Columbus's first voyage to the Americas in 1492, or the Protestant Reformation in 1517 are sometimes used.

History of Science  Protoscience, early sciences, and natural philosophies such as alchemy and astrology that existed during the Bronze Age, Iron Age, classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, declined after the emergence of modern sciences during the Scientific Revolution.

Antiscience a set of attitudes and a form of anti-intellectualism that involves a rejection of science and the scientific method.

High Middle Ages Key historical trends of the High Middle Ages include the rapidly increasing population of Europe, which brought about great social and political change from the preceding era, and the Renaissance of the 12th century, including the first developments of the rural exodus and urbanization. 

Late Middle Ages Around 1350, centuries of prosperity and growth in Europe came to a halt. A series of famines and plagues, including the Great Famine of 1315–1317 and the Black Death, reduced the population to around half of what it had been before the calamities. Along with depopulation came social unrest and endemic warfare.

Black Death a plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as 50 million people died, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th-century population. The Black Death was the second great natural disaster to strike Europe during the Late Middle Ages (the first one being the Great Famine of 1315–1317).

COVID-19 Pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an outbreak in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. It spread to other parts of Asia and then worldwide in early 2020.

Agriculture of the Middle Ages the farming practices, crops, technology, and agricultural society and economy of Europe from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 to approximately 1500.

Outline of the Middle Ages The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the early modern era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: classic, medieval and modern.

Economic History of the World  the development of human economic activity throughout time. 

Feudalism a combination of various customs and systems that flourished in medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structuring society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.

Neo-Feudalism a theorized contemporary rebirth of policies of governance, economy, and public life, reminiscent of those which were present in many feudal societies. Such aspects include, but are not limited to: Unequal rights and legal protections for common people and for nobility, dominance of societies by a small and powerful elite, a lack of social mobility, and relations of lordship and serfdom between the elite and the people, where the former are rich and the latter poor.

Capitalism an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and its use for the purpose of obtaining profit.

Late Capitalism the new social order which emerged in the aftermath of World War I.

European Science in the Middle Ages Western Europe would see a period of scientific decline during the Early Middle Ages. However, by the time of the High Middle Ages, the region had rallied and was on its way to once more taking the lead in scientific discovery. Scholarship and scientific discoveries of the Late Middle Ages laid the groundwork for the Scientific Revolution of the post-medieval period.

Common Misconceptions About the Middle Ages  State fragmentation and competition characterized much of the history of medieval Western Europe, and that trend would remain true for a long period of history afterwards.

Medieval Medicine in Western Europe following the fall of the Western Roman Empire, standard medical knowledge was based chiefly upon surviving Greek and Roman texts, preserved in monasteries and elsewhere.

Western Europe The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean world, the Latin West of the Roman Empire, and "Western Christendom". 

Medieval Music the sacred and secular music of Western Europe during the Middle Ages, from approximately the 6th to 15th centuries. It is the first and longest major era of Western classical music and is followed by the Renaissance music.

Medieval Technology After the Renaissance of the 12th century, medieval Europe saw a radical change in the rate of new inventions, innovations in the ways of managing traditional means of production, and economic growth.

Hundred Year's War a conflict between the kingdoms of England and France and a civil war in France during the late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy of Aquitaine and was triggered by a claim to the French throne made by Edward III of England.

Perpetual War endless war or forever war is a lasting state of war with no clear conditions that would lead to its conclusion. These wars are usually situations of ongoing tension that may escalate at any moment, similar to the Cold War.

Ecosystem Collapse a collection of interacting organisms within a biophysical environment.

Medieval Warm Period also known as the Medieval Climate Optimum or the Medieval Climatic Anomaly, was a time of warm climate in the North Atlantic region that lasted from about 950 CE to about 1250 CE.

Little Ice Age a period of regional cooling, particularly pronounced in the North Atlantic region from the 16th to the 19th centuries.

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