Phantom Time hypothesis

Charlemagne (747-814), a.k.a. Carolus Magnus, King of the Franks, King of the Lombards, and Holy Roman Emperor.

The Phantom Time Hypothesis (or "Invented Middle Ages" hypothesis) is an observational explanation, first proposed by German theorist Heribert Illig, which asserts that the recorded history of the Early Middle Ages (AD 614-911), and in particularly the Carolingian Period, is a falsehood that was orchestrated in part by the Holy Roman Emperor Otto III (980-1002) and Pope Sylvester II [Gerbert d'Aurillac] (946-1003), and that the era described in conventional histories did not take place.

Reading

• Illig, Heribert (2005), "The Invented Middle Ages" (in English), Anomalous Eras - Best Evidence, Best Theory, bearfabrique.org, http://www.bearfabrique.org/Catastrophism/illig_paper.htm 
• Illig, Heribert (2002) (in German), Das erfundene Mittelalter: Die größte Zeitfälschung der Geschichte, Berlin: Ullstein Tb, http://amzn.to/2dvXbnN  — [English: "The Invented Middle Ages: The Greatest Falsification in History"]

Resources

• Bellows, Alan, The Phantom Time Hypothesis, damninteresting.com, http://www.damninteresting.com/the-phantom-time-hypothesis/