How Did Eastern and Western Europe Function after the Fall of Rome?

With the end of the Roman Empire, both political and social issues became a major concern.

As the western half of the empire declined, the eastern half survived, despite facing challenges from the growing Muslim world. The West also suffered from Germanic invaders, especially the Franks, who took control of a large part of Western Europe following the fall of old Rome in 476 C.E. The new face of Europe during this period is known as Christendom because of the tremendous influence of the Christian church on the continent.

This mosaic depicts the Empress Theodora. Her husband, Emperor Justinian, was one of the post powerful and formative leaders of the Byzantine Empire.

Basilica of San Vitale [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Early Byzantium, built up by Constantine in the 330s C.E., was a wealthy, cosmopolitan city, due in part to its location. It contained baths, palaces, and public theaters and fancied itself the “New Rome.” The government was a civil and religious mix known as caesaropapism, in which the emperor had divine favor and played an active role in church affairs. The best known of these emperors was Justinian, who, along with his wife Theodora, was responsible for codifying civil law and attempting to reconstruct the old empire. In the West, the Germanic Franks, notably the Carolingians under Charlemagne, created a new empire. However, with Charlemagne's death, the empire was divided and was vulnerable to invasion by a new threat, the Vikings.

Meanwhile, Christianity itself was developing in two different directions. Rome remained the seat of the Western Church, and Constantinople stood as the seat of the Eastern Church. Soon, differences in opinion on leadership, evolving views on doctrine, and growing political intrigues within a new Holy Roman Empire in the West against the Byzantine East would lead to the largest split in the Christian faith.

In this lesson, you will learn about the differing political structures and power players in Eastern and Western Europe from 476 C.E. to 1054 C.E, and the dawn of the Modern Era. Additionally, you will learn about the reasons for the Great Schism of the Christian Church.