How was western Europe effected by the collapse of rome?

Answer 1

The Roman Empire collapsed in on itself from the heart, Rome. It was taken over by Barbarians. When Rome fell, the Eastern half actually stayed in shape, becoming the Byzantine Empire. However, in the West things were not good. Europe went into chaos for several hundred years, this being the Middle Ages. Western Europe did regrow and prosper until the Renaissance, a rebirth. However, Europe has recently begun falling again, losing power.

Answer 2

The lands of the western part of the Roman Empire were divided into kingdoms of the Germanic peoples who took them over. Although these peoples adopted Latin for the written language of their courts and adopted some Roman customs, they also had their own Germanic customs and their aristocracy was a cast of warriors and knights. Therefore there was a mixture of both cultural and social continuity and change.
Charlemagne, a king of the Franks gained control over most of western Europe and founded what historians call the Carolingian Empire. Following Frankish customs the empire was partitioned among the sons of the emperor. This lead to continuous fights between brothers and also other family members. The instability led to the feudal system which characterised the Early Middle Ages.

Instead of having a centralised government like the Roman Empire, there was a loss in central power, and an increase in the power of aristocrats. There was also encastlement, the retreat of powerful people to castles in the countryside. Aristocrats (or lords) also enlisted the military support of the knights in exchange for grants of rural land (the feuds). The knights became vassals of the lords.

Answer 3

The western half of the Roman Empire fell in 476. However, the eastern half stayed in tact and thrived for another 1,000 years as the Byzantine Empire. When the Roman Empire fell, Western Europe was in complete chaos. They had been controlled by the Romans for 1,000 years, and all of a sudden this vast empire was crippled, leaving them confused and scared. Barbarians were also taking control in Western Europe, and were a very dangerous and frightening bunch. This left Europe in a state of fright and created the Dark Ages. However, Eastern Europe managed to stay in tact and was prosperous until the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453.