There's a pretty big difference between 1300AD and 600AD For example, by 1300 you have Kings of England with substantial documentary index. In 600 you have on

There's a pretty big difference between 1300AD and 600AD For example, by 1300 you have Kings of England with substantial documentary index. In 600 you have ongoing Anglo-Saxon settlement, the written evidence is poor, but there seem to be tens or hundreds of independent political units. There are reasons people refer to the early middle ages specifically as the "dark ages".