Question

use the excerpt below to answer the question.
the visigoths. . . treated all europe as an enemys land. . . . they destroyed all the cities which they captured. . . . they also . . . left in rome nothing whatever of public or private wealth when they moved on to gaul. . . .
—\procopius of caesarea: alarics sack of rome,\ 410 ad
how did the event described in this excerpt affect western europe?
nobles recruited knights to defend manors.
priests forced religious conversion upon invaders.
monarchs formed alliances uniting all of europe.
merchants fortified towns to protect trade networks.

Explanation:

The excerpt describes the Visigoths' destructive sack of Rome and conquest of European cities, which destabilized regions. In response to such raids and breakdown of central authority, nobles relied on knights to defend their manors, a key development in feudalism. The other options do not align: religious conversion of invaders was not an immediate response to this destruction, monarchs did not unite all Europe in alliances at this time, and fortifying towns for trade was not the primary reaction compared to manor defense.

Answer:

Nobles recruited knights to defend manors.