What is another name for the dark ages?

The Dark Ages were a period in post Roman Europe in which the institutions of learning and enlightenment fell away as indigenous populations began to take back their lands from the Romans. Education of children and men were no longer priorities, additionally most of Europe reverted to an oral tradition and writing in this period became more scarce. Skills like writing and record keeping were kept alive by religious men such as monks. The Dark Ages did not last for too long, the rise of Germanic kingdoms in mainland Europe, especially the Franks created large states capable of maintaining institutions and Charlemagne, the great king, began to reinstill the value of education in his Frankish kingdom.