The Middle Ages

РОССИЙСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ ПЕДАГОГИЧЕСКИЙ  
УНИВЕРСИТЕТ им. А. И. ГЕРЦЕНА 
Н. Б. Ершова 
А. В. Коханова 
Г. Н. Кулиш 
THE MIDDLE AGES 
Учебное пособие 
Санкт-Петербург 
Издательство РГПУ им А. И. Герцена 
2023 

Печатается по решению 
редакционно-издательского совета 
РГПУ им. А. И. Герцена 
УДК 811.111 
ББК 81.431 
Е 80 
Рецензенты: 
Е. В. Белоглазова, доктор филологических наук, доцент, 
Российский государственный педагогический университет им. А. И. Герцена; 
О. Л. Мирон, кандидат педагогических наук, доцент, 
Санкт-Петербургский им. В. В. Бобкова филиала 
Российской таможенной академии 
Е 80    Ершова Н. Б. The Middle Ages : учебное пособие / Н. Б. Ершова, 
А. В. Коханова, 
Г. Н. Кулиш. — 
Санкт-Петербург : 
Издательство 
РГПУ 
им. А. И. Герцена, 2023. — 92 с. 
ISBN 978-5-8064-3355-9 
Учебное 
пособие 
включает 
аутентичные 
профессиональноориентированные 
и 
научно-образовательные 
тексты, 
которые 
дают 
многогранную характеристику средневековья, освещая отдельные его периоды 
и учитывая исторические, экономические, религиозные, эстетические и 
этические аспекты. Пособие нацелено на ознакомление с профессиональной 
терминологией и формирование навыков работы с профессиональными 
текстами. 
Предназначено для аудиторных занятий и самостоятельного изучения 
обучающимися 1 курса бакалавриата и магистратуры. 
Рекомендовано кафедрой английского языка для профессиональной 
коммуникации РГПУ им. А. И. Герцена в качестве учебного пособия по 
направлению «История». 
ISBN 978-5-8064-3355-9 
© РГПУ им. А. И. Герцена, 2023 
© С. В. Лебединский, обложка, 2023 

ПРЕДИСЛОВИЕ 
Учебное пособие предназначено для студентов I курса бакалавриата по 
направлению 
«История» 
и 
для 
смежных 
направлений 
гуманитарных 
факультетов, а также для широкой аудитории, заинтересованной тематикой 
и владеющей 
лексическими 
и 
грамматическими 
основами 
школьной 
программы. В пособии используются тексты, охватывающие отдельные 
периоды средневековья. 
Цель пособия — раскрытие творческого потенциала обучающихся и выработки 
креативного подхода к выполнению заданий и овладению материалом, а также 
расширение энциклопедических знаний. Мотивация студентов способствует 
более активному и качественному усвоению тематической лексики.  
Основная 
задача 
состоит 
в 
совершенствовании 
навыков 
работы 
с 
профессионально-ориентированными текстами, в пополнении словарного 
запаса обучающихся и активации тематической лексики. 
Пособие содержит систему упражнений тренировочного характера, нацеленных 
на усвоение и закрепление лексического материала, на развитие навыков 
чтения, перевода и говорения. Предлагается обширный дополнительный 
материал. Закрепление лексического материала и грамматических структур 
осуществляется при помощи двустороннего перевода. 
3 

____________________________________________________________________ 
Unit 1 
____________________________________________________________________ 
THE MIDDLE AGES 
People use the phrase “Middle Ages” to describe Europe between the fall of 
Rome in 476 CE and the beginning of the Renaissance in the 14th century. Many 
scholars call the era the “medieval period” instead; “Middle Ages,” they say, 
incorrectly implies that the period is an insignificant blip sandwiched between two 
much more important epochs. 
The term known as the Middle Ages is synonymous with the Dark Ages for 
several reasons as the period between 500–1500 A.D. included political turmoil, 
social unrest and the spread of disease. The Middle Ages brought great change to 
Europe in many respects, including social mobility, politics and the way of life. Some 
changes proved beneficial, but the time period experienced negative effects from the 
change too. 
The arrival of the Dark Ages in Europe followed the fall of the Greek and 
Roman empires in approximately 500 A.D. Several theorists propose that the term 
“Dark Ages” described the difference in intellect and cultural advancement between 
European citizens and people living in ancient Greece and Rome. In contrast to 
Greece and Rome, European populations lacked advancement in several key 
academic disciplines, including science and mathematics. 
Other popular theories, however, suggest that the name Dark Ages derived 
from the arrival of destructive maladies in Europe in the form of famine and disease. 
Of the illnesses that struck Europe, the bubonic plague was most destructive. The 
plague sickened and killed millions of Europeans. Those not killed by disease 
constantly faced the threat of death from battles and warfare, which covered the 
continent. The Dark Ages concluded around 1500 A.D., marking the end of a 
backwards time in human history. 
Ex. 1. Answer the questions. 
1. Why is the term known as the Middle Ages synonymous with the Dark Ages?
2. What changes did the Middle Ages bring to Europe?
3. How beneficial were these changes?
4. When did the Dark Ages arrive in Europe?
5 

5. What does the term Dark Ages include according to some theorists?
6. What did the end of the Dark Ages mark?
7. Whose point of view appeals to you most of all?
Ex. 2. Give the appropriate Russian variant of the words and expressions given below. 
- for several reasons  
- political turmoil 
- social mobility  
- in many respects 
- social unrest 
- spread of disease  
- threat of death from battles and warfare 
- beneficial changes 
- cultural advancement 
- described the difference 
- derived from destructive maladies 
- human history 
Ex. 3. Read and translate the sentences.  
1. The accepted date for the start of the Dark Ages is approximately 476 A.D., and
the date is chosen for its connection to the death of the Roman emperor Romulus 
Augustulus. 2. The term “Dark Ages” comes from a belief that the following time 
period lacked intellectual and societal progress. 3. The Dark Ages may not have 
lacked the intellectual insight that was originally believed. 4. Most of the darkness 
that occurred in that period happened around the falling Roman empire, as they 
degraded into feudalism and bloodshed. 6. Some scholars believe the Renaissance 
can be dated back as far as the reign of the first Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne, 
dated around the ninth century A.D. 7. The term “Dark Ages” is now believed by 
some to cover a much smaller span of time and geography, with intellectual influence 
remaining intact in Europe’s monasteries well before earlier accepted dates. 8. While 
the Roman empire’s descent was very impacting in that area, its fall did not cause 
nearly the destruction, ignorance or despair that was once commonly accepted in 
scholarly circles. It may have only lasted as little as 400 years. 
Ex. 4. Match the word on the left to their definitions on the right. 
1. advancement 
a. all the persons inhabiting a country, city, or other specified
place  
2. approximately b. a state of great commotion, confusion, or disturbance
6 

 
3. destructive 
c. a word or group of words designating something, esp. in a 
particular field  
4. empire 
d. armed conflict between two massed enemies, armies, or the 
like 
5. famine 
e. almost correct or exact : close in value or amount but not 
precise  
6. malady 
f. a major political unit having a territory of great extent or a 
number of territories or peoples under a single sovereign 
authority 
7. population 
g. causing great damage or ruin  
8. term 
h. progression to a higher stage of development 
9. turmoil 
i. a severe shortage of food, as through crop failure or 
overpopulation 
10. 
warfare 
j. an illness or disease  
 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ex. 5. Fill in proper prepositions. 
 
1. change the way ……… life  
2. negative effects ……….. the change 
3. the fall ……….. the Greek and Roman empires 
4. difference ………..  intellect and cultural advancement 
5. difference………..  European citizens and people living in ancient Greece 
6. ………..  contrast ………..  Greece and Rome 
7. attempt to derive ………..  one source 
8. the threat ………..  death 
9. killed ………..  disease 
10. 
the end ………..  a backwards time ………..  human history 
 
Ex. 6. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words derived from the ones given in 
brackets. 
 
Petrarch, an ___________ (Italy) poet and scholar of the fourteenth century, 
_________ (fame) referred to the period of time between the fall of the _______ 
(Rome) Empire (c. 476) and his own day (c. 1330s) as the Dark Ages. 
Petrarch believed that the Dark Ages was a period of ___________(intellect) 
darkness due to the _________ (lose) of the classical learning, which he saw as light. 
Later __________ (history) picked up on this idea and ultimately the term Dark Ages 
was transformed into Middle Ages. ________ (broad) speaking, the Middle Ages is 
the period of time in Europe between the end of _________(antique) in the fifth 
century and the Renaissance, or _________ (birth) of classical learning, in the 
fifteenth century and sixteenth centuries. 
7 
 

 
Ex. 7. Translate the sentences paying attention to the words in bold. 
 
1. But for the same reason its policy was always narrow, so that it never 
exercised any beneficial influence on the world at large. 2. Their threat is taught to 
us diplomats as an extreme negotiating tactic. 3. Many historians agree that the early 
medieval period lasted until approximately 1000 CE and is noted as one of the most 
turbulent parts of the middle ages. 4. In 1348 the island was devastated by the plague 
described by Boccaccio. 5. His plan of blowing up everything hadn’t included an 
innocent like Toby being hurt. 6. I think there’s no openly declared war, but there's 
lots of unrest and skirmishes among the clans. 7. Wars in that same period — the 
most destructive wars in all of history — took a fraction of that number. 8. Four of 
the problems I address in this book — ignorance, disease, famine, and poverty — are 
purely technical problems. 9. During these two or three years of incessant political 
intrigue and warfare it was not to be expected that the Lateran council should 
accomplish much. 10. Many, already smitten, went home only to die: some died at 
the school, and were buried quietly and quickly, the nature of the malady forbidding 
delay. 11. If Riverboro could have been suddenly emptied into a larger community, 
with different and more flexible opinions, he was, perhaps, the only personage in the 
entire population who would have attracted the smallest attention. 12. She built a 
tiny business into a worldwide empire. 
 
 
Ex. 8. Translate the words from the table and fill in the blanks in the text using these 
words.  
 
The medieval ………… lasted from ………… 500 Common Era (CE) until the year 
1500 CE, although some scholars and ………… debate these exact dates. This 
particular historical time period is also frequently called the………… ages for its role 
as a transitional time. After the …………Empire’s rule ended, the resulting ripple 
effects were political, …………, religious, and artistic developments that formed a 
basis for the …………world. The ………… of medieval history is often considered 
………… for understanding the forces that paved the ………… for other significant 
historical ………… that occurred in the centuries that followed. 
 
approximately      events      historians     important     middle     modern     period 
Roman     social     study     way 
 
 
Ex. 9. Find the synonym from the text. 
 
conflict ꞏ combat ꞏ battle ꞏ struggle ꞏ confrontationꞏ ___________________________  
connoisseur ꞏ savant ꞏ scientist ꞏ researcher ꞏ_______________________________ 
era ꞏ age ꞏ term ꞏ duration ꞏ epoch ꞏ______________________________________ 
8 
 

 
upheaval ꞏ convulsion ꞏ unrest ꞏ disorder ꞏ disturbance_______________________ 
useful ꞏ valuable ꞏ advantageous ꞏ profitable ꞏ favourable ꞏ rewarding ꞏ ___________ 
promotion ꞏ progress ꞏ development ꞏ achievement ꞏ_________________________ 
devastating ꞏ disastrous ꞏ catastrophic ꞏ fatal ꞏ calamitous ꞏ _____________________ 
illness ꞏ ailment ꞏ sickness ꞏ disease ꞏ ill health ꞏ  ____________________________ 
 
 
Ex. 10. Complete the text with one phrase that best fits into each gap. 
 
Many historians agree that the early medieval period lasted until approximately 
1000 CE and is noted ……………… (1). Leaders of the Roman Empire began losing 
political control over their various territories relatively quickly, ……………… 
(2) due to factions, internal rivalries, and personal agendas. One of ……………… 
(3) was the removal of Romulus Augustus from power, as this emperor was the very 
last of his kind in the region that is now western Europe. ……………… (4) is usually 
designated the high middle ages and ……………… (5) that resulted in Christian 
armies taking control of Jerusalem from Muslim rule.  
Legalization of Christian religious practices led to ……………… (6) in many 
facets of life during the medieval period. The previous era of ……………… (7) is 
often noted for active persecution of Christians, and this trend shifted significantly 
during the early years of the medieval period. Changes in belief systems 
……………… (8) centralized large populations that were otherwise at odds 
culturally and politically. Religious leaders from the Catholic Church were 
instrumental in making ……………… (9) available to the general population and in 
encouraging higher percentages of literacy. 
 
A. the widespread influence of this church 
B. and their effectiveness at ruling began to deteriorate 
C. written materials such as the Bible 
D. from a polytheistic to a monotheistic religion 
E. is known for the holy crusades 
F. Roman Empire rule 
G. the defining actions of early medieval history 
H. The following time period 
I. as one of the most turbulent parts of the middle ages 
 
 
Ex. 11. Fill in the proper words.  
 
1. He framed a code which introduced several ………….. changes 
into the laws of his kingdom.  
approximately 
9 
 

 
famine  
unrest 
destructive  
threat  
beneficial  
destructive 
warfare  
2. The islands ……………. their name from the sacred images 
found on them by the early European navigators. 
3. They were …………… the right size but too dried and twisted 
to wear. 
4. Half the population of his planet had been decimated by 
………….. and war. 
5. At this time there was much political …………… at home, and 
serious difficulties abroad. 
6. The town, which was rebuilt in fine, regular fashion after a 
…………….. fire in 1787, contains three Protestant churches. 
7. Antoine probably wasn’t the main ……………. in Europe. 
8. Norman warriors had long before helped the Christians of 
Spain in their …………… with the Saracens of the Peninsula, and 
in Sicily it was from the same enemy that they won the great 
Mediterranean island. 
9. She argued that the law was …………… of personal liberties. 
derive 
 
 
Ex. 12. Translate the texts. 
 
A.     Средневековье — это обширный период развития европейского общества, 
охватывающий V–XVI века нашей эры. Началась эпоха после падения великой 
Римской империи, закончилась — началом промышленной революции в 
Англии. За эти десять веков Европа прошла большой путь развития, 
характеризующийся великим переселением народов, формированием основных 
европейских государств и появлением красивейших памятников истории — 
готических соборов. 
Эпоха делится на три больших периода: раннее — V–XV-й вв. н. э., 
высокое — X–XIV вв. н. э., позднее — XIV–XV (XVI) вв. н. э. 
Три периода серьезно отличаются друг от друга: в самом начале новой 
эпохи Европа переживала смутное время — время нестабильности и 
раздробленности, в конце XV-го века сформировалось общество с его 
характерными культурными и традиционными ценностями.  
 
B.   Not so dark after all 
Characterizing the Middle Ages as a period of darkness falling between two 
greater, more intellectually significant periods in history is misleading. The Middle 
Ages was not a time of ignorance and backwardness, but rather a period during which 
Christianity flourished in Europe. Christianity, and specifically Catholicism in the 
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