Dark Ages
The "Dark Ages" is a term invented in the early 14th Century to describe the preceeding 900 years in Europe, begining with the fall of the western Roman Empire in 410 through to the renewal embodied in the Renaissance begining in the 14th Century.
Before the term and concept was invented, people did not see themselves as part of a Dark Age and to understand why the period is called "Dark", with its negative connotations, it is helpful to know when, how and why the term was invented, how the term has been variously used in the 700 years since its creation, and how the term is viewed today in modern times.
For a history of what happened during the period, such as the signifigance of new social and economic forms which emerged, such feudalism and medieval literature, see the Middle Ages.