Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
The Waning of the Middle Ages
References
Britannica AI Icon

The Waning of the Middle Ages

work by Huizinga
Also known as: “Herfsttij der middeleeuwen”
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

Johan Huizinga's The Waning of the Middle Ages examines life and thought in 14th and 15th-century France and Holland. The book, written in a lively style, is considered both literature and history.1

The traditional view of the Middle Ages (c. 500-1500 CE) as a period of decline was challenged by historians like Huizinga. While the 14th century saw disasters like famine and plague, Europe demonstrated resilience, recovering and reconstituting itself. This period, rather than an "autumn" or "end," showed the strength of European society and culture.2

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
2 Britannica Sources
  1. Johan Huizinga
  2. history of Europe - Crisis, recovery, and resilience: Did the Middle Ages end?

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.