A period of major upheaval

The Middle Ages was a long period in the history of mankind. It lasted more than 1000 years : from 476, when the Western Roman Empire fell, to 1492, when America was discovered by Christopher Columbus. In the 5th century, the Barbarian invasions (Germans, Huns, Avars, Goths and Vandals) from Central Asia threw the whole of Europe, as well as Asia, into turmoil. These migrant peoples mixed with indigenous populations, meaning those based for a long time in one place. They founded new kingdoms (kingdom of the Francs, kingdom of the Visigoths), which are often the basis for our modern countries. While the Western Roman Empire (western and south-western Europe) was conquered by the Barbarians, the Eastern Roman Empire (Balkans and Asia Minor) survived. It was called the Byzantine Empire.

Native Americans and Pre-Columbians, isolated by the oceans, continued to develop their own culture. The Mayan (Mexico) and Inca (Peru) civilizations were flourishing before the European conquests began.