Even if many things in life are uncertain or disputed, we can largely agree that, according to our calendars, this is the year 2025; only a small handful of countries count the years differently.
But what if we told you that rather than being in the 21st Century, we're actually still back in the 18th?
Presumably, you'd think we were crazy, but that's where the bonkers 'phantom time' conspiracy theory comes in, as it claims that around 300 years of human history was basically made up.
First proposed in 1991 by German historian Heribert Illig, this theory claims that the events recorded between 614 and 911 AD were made up in order to get closer to the millennium.
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The historian reckoned that Holy Roman Emperor Otto III, Pope Sylvester II and possibly the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII teamed up as a trio of time bandits and stole almost 300 years of human history.
The theory proposes that these three powerful figures decided to advance the calendar by almost three centuries in order to get closer to 1000AD, which, according to History, would have been important for their reigns as being a thousand years after the birth of Jesus Christ was considered important.
Apparently, these three fabricated the s**t out of three centuries of history, meaning they would have invented the Viking invasions of Britain, Alfred the Great, Charlemagne and the founding of the Holy Roman Empire.
This period was already known as the Dark Ages, though don't catch actual historians hearing you call it that, where documentation of events fell off in the aftermath of the collapse of the Western Roman Empire.
The idea that some of the things recorded as happening in this period of time being made up has some weight behind it; the mythical King Arthur was supposedly kicking around in the Dark Ages, but records of his existence are largely considered to be embellished historical fibs.
On the other hand, plenty of other parts of the world were keeping good records during this time period and even people in the olden times would likely notice if you skipped three centuries in the calendar.
It also seems a bit awkward for Charlemagne and his creation of the Holy Roman Empire to have been made up, considering Otto III was the Holy Roman Emperor; that title didn't just come out of nowhere.
On top of that, it is unlikely that Constantine VII helped out in this endeavour considering he died in 959, at which point Pope Sylvester II would be a 13-year-old who was four decades out from becoming the Pope, while Emperor Otto III wouldn't be born until 980.
To add to the argument against this theory, the belief that 1000AD would be a very important year for the Christian world, which might even see the return of Jesus Christ, makes it unlikely since you wouldn't think the big fellow would fall for a scam like that.
So we are very probably not living in the 1700s after all and if anyone tells you that about three centuries of history is made up, you have a right to be sceptical.
Topics: Conspiracy Theory, History, Weird, Religion
Joe Harker