How long did the Roman Catholic Church dominate western Europe?

Answer 1

Roman Catholic AnswerInteresting question, I think it should be modified somewhat, in that dominate as in "a great influence" is somewhat different from dominate as in "exercise control over". In the later sense, the Church certainly dominated Rome, and to a certain extent, Italy, for many centuries, but Western Europe only in the former sense. In the former sense, one could say that the Church's influence started to be prevalent with the fall of the Roman Empire (476 A.D.), especially in Rome. In the later sense, the Church really didn't start coming into major influence until the conversion of Clovis a little before 500 A.D. The Church influence started to wane in the fourteenth century which started which massive starvation due to a famine caused by ruinous weather conditions, then the black death (plague), rebellions, the Hundred Years' War, and a papacy in a lot of trouble. All of which led into the Renaissance and a flourishing of the business spirit over the spiritual life which eventually led to the protestant revolt in the sixteenth century. So, in VERY broad strokes, let's say 500 A.D. to 1517 A.D. when a mad friar named Luther protested the sale of indulgences in Germany.