Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Barbaric Invasions and the Age of Feudalism in Europe The Decline of Civilization in the West After the Roman Empire The Germanic invasions resulted in the political collapse of the Roman Empire and the ruin of its highly developed economic and social system. 1. Decline of Trade and Industry. Merchants, fearing the seizure of their goods by highway robbers and pirates, stopped shipping to distant points and confined their trade to the local marketplace. The excellent Roman roads deteriorated. Lacking sufficient markets, industry shut down. Unemployed workers moved to rural areas. As trade and industry dwindled, cities declined in population, and many disappeared; also, money fell into disuse. Decline of Civilization in the West 2. Decline of Learning and Culture. During these unsettled times a. Roman schools, libraries and museums were destroyed, b. Arts and sciences were neglected, and c. Reading and writing were forgotten. People were concerned not with learning and culture but with remaining alive. Decline of Civilization in the West 3. Decline of Strong Central Government. Government was now in the hands of weak Germanic kingdoms: the Visigoths in Spain, the Ostrogoths in Italy, the Angles and Saxons in England, and the Franks in Gaul(France). Their rulers generally failed to provide protection, insure justice and maintain order. From Roman Rule to Germanic Kingdoms Weak Germanic Kingdoms Such weaknesses existed because the Germanic kingdoms: a. Lacked power to control their large territories and populations. Only a few hundred thousand Germans governed millions of other peoples. b. Lacked large armies to subdue ambitious nobles. A noble sometimes commanded military forces stronger than those of a monarch. c. Lacked roads and bridges to transport armies to trouble spots. Because the Germans knew little about engineering, they could not maintain the Roman transportation facilities. d. Lacked rules of succession to the throne to prevent civil war after a ruler’s death. The only strong Germanic government was the Frankish kingdom in the 8th and early 9th centuries.