The Making of Europe Author:Christopher Dawson back cover: When most people use the expression "The Dark Ages" they are often unclear as to what they mean. For some the period described is unbelievably long, form the Fall of the Roman Empire to the beginning of the Renaissance. This is not only incorrect historically; it is dangerously misleading. — As Crhistopher Dawson, the distinguished Br... more »itish historian, indicates in The Making of Europe, "The Dark Ages" from the sixth to the tenth centuries werecritical in the formation of European unity and the expansion and definition of Western Christianity. As such, "The Dark Ages" were only relatively dark; for it was during this period that the full impact of Byzantine Christianity, the rise and formation of Moslem culture, the conversion of the barbarians, the Carolingian renaissance, and similar epochs was felt. It was in this period that medieval Europe and Catholic Christianity received fundamental definition.« less