Western Half Of The Roman Empire: The European Middle Ages

The European Middle Ages lasted from 500-1500 CE. During the Middle Ages, the western half of the Roman Empire started to slowly decline. The decline of the Roman Empire all began with the invasions of Western Europe. Germanic invaders invaded the Western half of the Roman Empire. Consequently, the western half of the Roman Empire experienced economical problems. There was disruption of trade, downfall of cities, and population shifts. Therefore, businesses started to collapse. As the Germans mixed with the Romans, there was a decline of learning and loss of a common language. Additionally, as the Roman Empire fell, Germanic Kingdoms replaced Roman provinces. Germanic chiefs led the warriors who pledged their loyalty to them. As the concept
The manor was known as the lord’s estate. The manor system was the set of rights between serfs and their lord; a manor was considered a self-sufficient community. Serfs did certain duties and in return the lord gave them food and shelter. Peasants had to pay taxes on many things such as marriage. They also paid tithe which was the church tax. The manor system changed the economy of Western Europe. Western Europe changed politically various time during the Middle Ages. Western Europe was attack by Germanic invaders, this resulted in decentralizations. The Roman Empire gradually fell during the Middle Ages. As Germanic kingdoms replaced Roman provinces, the concept of government changed. Personal ties held Germanic communities together. Each community was governed by unwritten laws. Clovis united the franks, a Germanic people, into one kingdom. The Frankish Kingdom strengthened their relationship with the Church. Gregory the Great, increased the papacy’s political power. He used money that the Church had for raising armies, repairing roads, and helping the poor. Charles Martel became the most powerful person in the Frankish kingdom. Charles Martel helped the franks win the Battle of Tours which ensured that the
Germans introduced their cultures and their form of government to the Romans which influenced their culture. Unlike the Romans, the Germanic society was held together through family ties and personal loyalty. Meanwhile, Clovis expanded Christianity with the help of the church. Monasteries were religious communities, this is where monks devoted their life to Christianity. Monks helped the community by opening schools, and maintaining libraries. As feudalism was introduced, society changed. The social classes changed; the king was the top then came church officials and nobles then came knights then peasants. A status of a person in the feudal system influenced a person’s power. Many serfs lived on their lord’s manors and carried out services for him. Feudal lords had armies of knights that protected the lord’s manor. Knights were supposed to correspond with the code of chivalry. The code of Chivalry requested that a knight fights for three masters: feudal lord, heavenly lord, and his chosen lady. Overall, feudalism and chivalry were two concepts that changed the