True or False: The Middle Ages lasted about 100 years.

The story behind the answer

The Middle Ages are generally dated from the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE to the dawn of the Renaissance in the 15th century (often 1453 or 1492), a span of roughly a thousand years. Historians divide it into Early, High, and Late Middle Ages to capture major changes over that long period.

Across those centuries, Europe saw feudal kingdoms, castle building, the rise of Gothic cathedrals and universities, the Crusades, and devastating outbreaks like the Black Death (1347–1351). A common point of confusion is the Hundred Years’ War between England and France, which, despite its name, lasted 116 years (1337–1453) and was only one episode within the much longer medieval era.