Collapse

From A Wheel of Time Wiki

The Collapse is the name given to a span of time in the Age of Legends, after the Bore was made. During this period there was a slow degeneration of society, attributed to the Dark One's ability to influence hearts and emotions. This slow corrupting influence lasted a little more than a hundred years; slowly persons of power and prestige coverted to the Shadow, either publicly or in secret.

Brutal sports and treacherous politics became more and more common as the Collapse wore on, and the art of war was rediscovered through these often fatal confrontations. Once a sufficient segment of society had fallen under the Dark One's sway, the War of Power began in earnest with a concerted attempt to unleash him fully upon the world.