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Christianity and its new network of churches helped filled the void.  Also, a new method developed for protecting private property and encouraging farming on a local level rather than through a centralized empire:  [[feudalism]].  It arose independently in western Europe and [[Japan]].

Christianity and its new network of churches helped filled the void.  Also, a new method developed for protecting private property and encouraging farming on a local level rather than through a centralized empire:  [[feudalism]].  It arose independently in western Europe and [[Japan]].

Under decentralized government in the Middle Ages, a huge church-state network called “Christendom” held influence over all of Europe.  Christendom consisted of a religious hierarchy known as the [[sacerdotium]] and a secular (non-religious) hierarchy known as the [[imperium]].  These corresponded to man’s spiritual needs and his worldly or temporal needs.  In western Europe, the pope of the [[Roman Catholic Church]] ruled over the religious side and an emperor ruled over the secular side, but they were constantly cooperating or arguing with each other.  Emperors tried to control church officials and vice-versa.  The Church even had its own armies and cities, and a powerful pope named [[Innocent III]] even asserted the right to resolve disputes between kings.  The pope would [[excommunicate]] (kick out of the Church) kings to show his disapproval, and at times even attempted to remove kings from power.  This all makes for interesting reading and debate.

Under the decentralized government during the Middle Ages, a huge church-state network called "Christendom" held influence over all of Europe.  Christendom consisted of a religious hierarchy known as the [[sacerdotium]] and a secular (non-religious) hierarchy known as the [[imperium]].  These corresponded to man's spiritual needs and his worldly or temporal needs.  In western Europe, the pope of the [[Roman Catholic Church]] ruled over the religious side and an emperor ruled over the secular side, but they were constantly cooperating or arguing with each other.  Emperors tried to control church officials and vice-versa.  The Church even had its own armies and cities, and a powerful pope named [[Innocent III]] even asserted the right to resolve disputes between kings.  The pope would [[excommunicate]] (kick out of the Church) kings to show his disapproval, and at times even attempted to remove kings from power.  This all makes for interesting reading and debate.

   

   

There were other threats to peace.  Foreigners from Asia known as “[[Mongols]]” were vicious warriors who seemed invincible.  And there was terrible disease:  the [[Bubonic Plague]] was probably the worst disease in all of history, killing a large percentage of the European population.

There were other threats to peace.  Foreigners from Asia known as "[[Mongols]]" were vicious warriors who seemed invincible.  And there was terrible disease:  the [[Bubonic Plague]] was probably the worst disease in all of history, killing a large percentage of the European population.

But before we reach those topics, there is something else of enormous importance that happened in the early part of the Middle Ages:  [[Islam]] began.  It attracted [[Arabs]] at first, and then spread as far away as [[Spain]] in the West and [[Southeast Asia]] in the East.  Islam may even surpass Christianity as the world’s most popular religion in the 21st century, despite Christianity being nearly 50% older than Islam.

But before we reach those topics, there is something else of enormous importance that happened in the early part of the Middle Ages:  [[Islam]] began.  It attracted [[Arabs]] at first, and then spread as far away as [[Spain]] in the West and [[Southeast Asia]] in the East.  Islam may even surpass Christianity as the world's most popular religion in the 21st century, despite Christianity being nearly 50% older than Islam.

==The Rise of Islam==

==The Rise of Islam==