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How Did The Roman Empire Lead To The Rise Of Feudalism In Europe

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How did the rise of Christianity and the fall of the Roman Empire lead to the rise of feudalism in Europe during the 6th century?

Romulus Augustus, the last Roman emperor, was dethroned because of the lack of control he had with the empire. In his place was a German military commander known as Odoacer which forcefully brought the western Roman empire to his command. This allows for the Huns in the east and the Germanic tribes to invade (The End of the Roman Empire). This influx of power and lack of control made it apparent that a power system was needed to provide order to Western Europe. Odoacer “assured his fellow-soldiers, that, if they dared to associate under his command, they might soon extort the justice which had been denied to their dutiful petitions” (Gibbons XXXVI). Meanwhile, the party that took power was the Roman Catholic Church in the west. As the church’s influence was widespread even before the Empire fell, their power and ideals led Western Europe to be relatively stable and safe as they created a new form of society, feudalism. As Roman historian Gaius Cornelius puts it, the fusion of culture, known later in the 15th century, was influenced by Roman ideals and government structures but also incorporated elements of the “Germanic tribes’ beliefs of mutual obligations and privileges to one another to their leader” (Cosman 114). Additionally, it is also a “closely knit network of personal bond and loyalties”(Winter). This incorporation of feudalism was both

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