The early Benedictine and Irish Catholic monks literally saved Western Civilization. With the rule of the Barbarians in the Middle ages literacy was of little importance to these conquerors. This resulted in the scarce supply of books and ... under the Roman and Byzantine Empires left un-preserved or destroyed. Thanks entirely to the Monastic Movement, which began to strengthen in the early middle ages, education and civilized culture were not lost. This era is characterized by the rapid growth of these monasteries which were religious communities in ... . Charles Martel, his son, Pepin the ...

• Word Count: 1711
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... served as the Eucharist. After 1204, the church went into a period of Scholasticism, which was studying the Christian doctrine in terms of philosophy. During the Middle Ages these two branches of Christianity drifted apart. A fight over the use of icons leaded to the split. Many Byzantine Christians prayed to images such as Christ ... took over parts of Italy, and Slavs and Avars invaded the Balkan Peninsula. Persian invasions weakened the empire during the late 500's and early 600's. Heraclius, who became ruler in 610, stopped the collapse by defeating the Persians. The new enemy attack...

• Word Count: 1921
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... , Spain, Bavarian, and Avers. Charlemagne conquered most of "Western Europe and united it under a great empire." (10) "His empire held the concept of a universal Christian empire." (13,217) During the Early Middle Ages, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, there was a sharp decline in the political and cultural life of the people. The people made their living by farming. "They did ... the revitalization of academic learning and cultural revival that was the Carolingian Renaissance. "The Carolingian Renaissance did, however, reverse the process of cultural decay, which had characte...

• Word Count: 1753
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... appointing Patriarchs and set the territorial boundaries for their jurisdiction. Therefore, there was no separation of Church and State, thereby forming a single power structure from the two entities. The early survival of the Byzantine Empire was made possible through its naval force. The sea became vital to the existence of the empire in the east, which many historians refer to ... a bomb used by the Byzantine Empire, specifically by the navy as it could continue burning while floating on the water. This was an early technological advantage and was responsible for many military Byzant...

• Word Count: 1614
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... went from obeying their father to obeying their husband. According to the law under Gaius, propter animi levitatem, or ""on account of the lightness of the mind"", women of all ages were to be cared for by a guardian. Fortunately, by Constantine's reign, this law no longer existed. Marriage with manus, or marriage where the wife is legally dependent on the husband ... women in other nations of the classical world, the women of Rome "had comparative stature, independence and a value recognized by their society" (Cross). Contrary to the lives of these upper middle and elite classes of wom...

• Word Count: 1336
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography

... their Christian belief that they should gain control of the Holy land for the "Glory of God". The origin of the Crusades was a result of the Turkish expansion in the middle east. The Turks invaded the Christian empire, Byzantium, and then the crusaders were sent out to recover the land which was rightfully theirs. Around 1071 the Seldjuk Turks started conquering ... an attack to recapture Jerusalem in 1187. In early October, Saladin defeated the crusaders and gained control of Jerusalem. Pope Gregory VIII then called for a third crusade. Frederick I, Roman Emperor, Philip II, French kin...

• Word Count: 1799
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School