Week 1

The first week of classes we were introduced to the book Before European Hegemony. The demise of the economy and the many barbaric invasions is what eventually led to the fall of the empire. The invasions began in the 3rd century between the German and the Romans in Europe. The fifth centur is when the invasions that held the most weight occurred. Invasions before this were not as successful. By the end of the 5th century the fall of the empire began to heavily take place and Northwestern Europe was becoming more apparent that it is separate from the rest of the country.
Due to the invasions the Government quickly loss controll. It was not "central" anymore , therefore causing friction between different groups. In the 8th century Charlemagne became emperor. He took advantage of the church to try to regain control of the government and the rest of the political system. It became a long slow process and Charlemagne ended up dying and the empire crashed once again. It seemed as though a "key saviour" in establishing Europe as a substantial power was the introduction into feudalism. Feudalism really helped Europe rise back to a place of influence. It allowed trading centers and exchanges to take place. By the 11th century Europe became more integrated and producing more goods for exchange. Population all over the country began to spark in response to these new changes and different patterns.
The “fall” occurred due to many events not just one single event. It also took a long time to occurr. It didnt just happen over night. It took centuries! Charlemagne got the ball rolling slowly but feudalism gave the ball the kick that it needed to pick up momentum.”