We all seem to equate the Middle Ages with the notion of being static both in terms of cultural and ideological development, and in material progress. In our mindset the Medieval period always brings forth the thought of backwardness and of regress, we consider it a low point in European history. And really, compared to the glamour of the Roman empire before it and the vigor of the Renaissance after it, the Middle Ages can at best be viewed as an unnecessary period, in which the line of progress instead of continuing up stayed at one level, culture became stagnant and the worldview of the people narrowed down considerably. However, this is not a valid judgment. During the Middle Ages there was as much cultural turmoil as in the periods prior to it, if not more. Each new conflict and war, each new voyage, each new opened trade route brought new ideas, new worldviews, broadened the medieval people’s perspective and laid the base for the beginning of the Renaissance later. And of course, looked on its own and not in the context of other historical phases, the Medieval age is best suited for the needs of the people that lived in it with their cultural necess

The Church was shaped and developed on the foundations of Roman culture and the Roman state system. The state was the most important thing in the mindset of Roman people. The best asset for a man from the Classical age was patriotism. The bringing together of so many people of different origin under one government, led to the maturation of juridical thought and the expansion of a vast administrative network which to handle order and stability in the empire. Both the spirit of the Romans and the administration system of the Roman empire influenced deeply the Church and its structure and organization. People in the West did not have the stability which their Eastern counterparts in Constantinople enjoyed. This led to a different focus of the whole religious body – away from the more philosophical and theological questions which were pondered upon in the East and towards a more secular line of thought as the Church had to take up some of the functions of a secular power in order the whole West European society not to fall apart. The Western Christian people were more engaged with the practical – mainly¬ the ceremonies and the legislative¬ side of Church life. The spotlight was centered more on the relationship between the Church and the state than to the relationship between the Church and God. The Western Church was comprised of people who were not good theologians, but were instead excellent administrators and politicians. Thus the Roman tradition in legislative and political structure and the organization of the empire influenced the Church in the way it was structured and in the way it dealt with state matters in the form of a secular power. For example, the Constitution of Constantine's Christian Church copies the Roman Empire. Also many terms used by the Church are taken from the Romans like Civitas (City), Diocese, Province, Deacon, Priest, Bishop, Patriarch and others. Also the Emperor Constantine summoned the First Council of Nicaea (325) and established the Nicene Creed, which is the fundamental declaration of Christian faith accepted today by many Christians as a statement of their fundamental beliefs. So as we see the Roman heritage has left deep traces in the West’s religious and secular affairs in the Middle ages.

Other major influences on the West were the two big waves of barbarian invasions. When each of them appeared, they changed completely the way of life of the Europeans and the geo-political structure at the time. The first wave appeared around 4th century and was comprised of many tribes, all Germanic in origin - Goths, Alan, Vandals, Angles, Saxons, Franks, and Huns. It primarily emerged because of food shortages and over-population in the tribes’ lands and the vision of a wealthy empire which could hardly defend itself. The effect from this invasion was the fall of the Western part of the Roman empire and the ensuing political division and instability. The 840s to the 920s observed the last wave of Barbarian incursion into Western and Central Europe. Each was more destructive than the last. When the first wave of Goth, Vandal, and Alan invasions passed though Europe's heartland and continued on, they may have destroyed the Roman state, but not necessarily its society, civilization, or culture. The shorter migrations of Franks, Alamanni, and Saxons just west of the Rhine, and then into Gaul, went much farther to wreck Roman civil and political organization, and began to cut off France from the Mediterranean coast in cultural and economic matters. The final wa

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Middle Ages, Norman Sicily, Roman Empire, Western Europe, Heritage Europeans, Arabs Islam, Nicene Creed, Dark Ages, Latin Greek, Western Church, middle ages, roman empire, secular power, barbarian invasions, western europe, european civilization, civilization middle ages, cultural development, structure organization, relationship church, empire influenced, european civilization middle,