Editing Dark Ages (historiography) (section)

===Reformation===
During the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformations]] of the 16th and 17th centuries, [[Protestant]]s generally had a similar view to Renaissance humanists such as Petrarch, but also added an [[anti-Catholicism|anti-Catholic]] perspective. They saw classical antiquity as a golden time not only because of its Latin literature but also because it witnessed the beginnings of Christianity. They promoted the idea that the 'Middle Age' was a time of darkness also because of corruption within the [[Catholic Church]], such as popes ruling as kings, veneration of [[Relic|saints' relics]], a licentious priesthood and institutionalized moral hypocrisy.<ref>F. Oakley, ''The medieval experience: foundations of Western cultural singularity'' (University of Toronto Press, 1988), pp. 1-4.</ref>