Dark Ages 1.5 kya

As the climate turned colder more movements of people from Europe and the steppe led to the gradual defeat of the Western Empire over the next 100 years. The Western Empire entered a period of lawlessness called the Dark Ages which lasted from around 1500 to 1000 years ago. The continued fighting of the warrior kings of Europe ensured that no nation emerged to build a new empire. Byzantium was not defeated until about 550 years ago.