In the 19th century, the entire Middle Ages were often referred to as the "Dark Ages", but with the adoption of these subdivisions, use of this term was restricted to the Early Middle Ages, at least among historians.
I 1800-tallet blev hele perioden ofte omtalt som "den mørke middelalder", men underopdelingen bruges kun dette udtryk til den tidlige middelalder, i hvert fald blandt historikere.