The Chronicle of Fredegar (died ca 660) is the main source for Western European events of the 7th century, a formative period whose scarcity of sources in part justifies the characterization of its silence as that of the "Dark Ages". In the 7th century many institutions of the Middle Ages had their roots. Like most chronicles, Fredegar's is a universal history, beginning with the Creation. Fredegar reaches his own times in book iv, where historians' interest picks up, but merely provides a simple timeline, which ends in 642. Other hands, the "continuators," have extended the timeline into the 8th century. To judge from their systemic bias, they appear to have been working to please Childebrand, the half-brother of Charles Martel. The Dark Ages (or Dark Age) is a metaphor with multiple meanings and connotations. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Alternative meanings: Timeline is a 1999 science fiction novel by Michael Crichton Timeline is a 2003 film based on the novel. ... Events August 5 - In the Battle of Maserfield, Penda king of Mercia defeats and kills Oswald, king of Bernicia. ... Charles Martel (Charles the Hammer, German: Karl Martell) (August 23, 686 – October 22, 741) was born in Herstal, in what is now Wallonia, Belgium, the illegitimate son of Pepin II (635 or 640 - December 16, 714) and his concubine Alpaida or Chalpaida. ...

Further reading

• Collins, Roger, 1991. Early Medieval Europe 300-1000 (London: MacMillan)
• Wallace-Hadrill,J.M., translator, 1960. The Fourth Book of the Chronicle of Fredegar with its Continuations (Connecticut:Greenwood Press)
• —, 1967. The Barbarian West, 3rd edition (London: Hutchinson)