A defined point in the historical timeline corresponds to the Medieval Period. The medieval period of history was the era of European history – from around the 5th to the 15th centuries, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire and before the start of the modern era. This historical period has long fallen victim to romantic filmmakers and novelists, leading to the common, but false, idea of ​​the medieval period consisting of knights and damsels in distress, wizards and dragons, castles and of battles. Although generally erroneous in most cases and very historically inaccurate, some aspects of the dramatic works are faithful to the original period. Certainly in British/English history we have a huge heritage in the medieval world and so it is quite easy to look at how certain aspects of this period developed over time whilst retaining their relevance to the people today. New technologies emerged during the medieval period and are still in place today: new trade routes made trade with the East possible, and products such as spices and silk were introduced to the Western world , but with great possibilities and explorations, they have become dark. times. Populations soared, which often led to poor sanitation and disease, such as the Black Death, the disease that killed half of Europe's population. One aspect of medieval society was the feudal system which was also introduced during this period by William the Conqueror; this laid the foundation for a governmental structure. The feudal system bound people under a single superior – it allowed the use of a standing army and offered protection to those lower in the ranks, in exchange for service. This use of constitutional government has a good example...... middle of paper ...... most historical sources tell us about the wealthy or those with influence, similarly we n 't often written about women, so when looking Due to the social aspects of medieval history, these issues can make it very difficult to find information about those of the lower classes or about women. Another problem we see when looking at the medieval period is that historians often rely on unwritten sources – which poses problems of interpretation, for example the Bayeaux Tapestry or stained glass windows. The stained glass windows contain a lot of information, for example the image of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II, which is used in the debate about Eleanor's importance in the Angevin Empire. Some historians believe that the image shows Eleanor as Henry's equal, while others believe that it is not of great significance, as she was there purely for social reasons. This is a key example.