The ancient era was a time in which many empires were beginning to form in various areas and establish themselves as successful countries. The earliest civilizations settled in Mesopotamia, India, and Egypt. These civilizations persevered for centuries though they were plagued with invasion and issues within their own governments. Other civilizations arose in different parts of the world, though none were more powerful or more widespread than the Roman Empire, which wholly controlled the Mediterranean. The ancient world came to an end with the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 CE. The Byzantine Empire, one of the strongest civilizations the world has ever known, thrived through all of this and continued to stay around a bit longer. The authority in this specific era fell directly on who …show more content…
From this time period on, there would be drastic changes in the shift of authority in the medieval and early modern periods, mostly all a result of the rising power of religion. From the ancient era to the medieval era, there is not much that changed early on. The barbarians were still conquering lands, along with other Germanic tribes. Society changed in the sense that peasants had to pay rent and labor for nobles, and a system of feudalism was also established. The shift in authority, however, occurred around the time Pope Boniface VIII was in papal power, and secular beliefs started to spread abruptly. There was an increased viewpoint from political leaders as well as citizens that it was time political power should be possessed by the state, and the traditional ‘church supremacy’ mentality was outdated and over bearing. The Catholic church, led by Boniface, felt that salvation only came through citizens obeying and submitting to the Pope and his govern. King Philip IV of France did not wish to adhere to