Misconceptions and outright errors were common among historians, and are still present in as a part of the popular view of the Middle Ages as a backward, primitive and barbaric era.
Kesalahpahaman dan kekeliruan secara langsung umum dilakukan di kalangan sejarawan, dan masih ada sebagai suatu bagian pandangan populer bahwa Abad Pertengahan merupakan suatu periode barbar, primitif, dan terbelakang.