Comment by astine

"I mean, I think everyone knows that 'Dark ages' is a made up label from centuries ago during the Enlightenment era."

Actually, the idea comes from Petrarch, who was a late Mediaeval writer who was upset at the disrespect paid to ancient Latin and Greek literature and culture during the Migration and Mediaeval periods. Of course, Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment intellectuals all picked up on the idea for their own reasons.