In the time period between the fall of Rome and the spread of the Renaissance across the European continent, many of today’s European nations were formed, the Catholic Church rose to great prominence, some of history’s most famous wars occurred, and a social class system was instituted that lasted over 1,000 years. A lot of activity took place during a period frequently labeled derogatively as the “Dark Ages”, and while that period of time is mostly referred to as the “Middle Ages” instead of the Dark Ages today, it has still retained the stigma of being a sort of lost period of time in which Western civilization made no worthwhile progress after the advances of the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome.

In reality, this oversimplification of the Middle Ages overlooks the progress made in the studies of sciences, especially during the High Middle Ages. It also ignores the fact that one of the most important inventions of the last millennium was created in Germany during the Late Middle Ages, the printing press, which allowed the Renaissance to move across the continent and help position Western Europe as the wealthiest region in the world.

Somewhat ironically, the one aspect of the Middle Ages that has been romanticized is medieval warfare. The Middle Ages have long sparked people’s imaginations, thanks to imagery of armored knights battling on horseback and armies of men trying to breach the walls of formidable castles, but what is generally forgotten is that medieval warfare was constantly adapting to the times as leaders adopted new techniques and technology, and common infantry became increasingly important throughout the period.

The changes became most evident at the beginning of the 14th century, when the French army fought rebellious forces from Flanders in the Battle of the Golden Spurs on July 11, 1302. Though the battle is mostly forgotten today, it was one of medieval Europe’s most important battles because the Flemish army, consisting almost entirely of infantry, defeated the French forces and their heavily armored cavalry. The battle marked the end of the feudal era and shifted the military focus to infantry armed with pikes or spears. Over 700 years later, the date of the battle is a national holiday in Belgium, and though it did not establish an independent state, the victory certainly set the Flemish people on the road to independence.