Question

1. what happened to the roman empire and how did it impact people? 2. explain why great halls, the feudal system, and castles developed. the middle ages -- medieval society and literary influence a rose by any other name -- \middle ages,\ \medieval period\ or \dark ages\? the period between 500 - 1500 a.d. in europe is called the middle ages, another name for this era is the medieval period. this period bridges the classical period of the roman empire and the later period of the renaissance. the period before 1000 a.d. is sometimes also called the dark ages. it is most likely called this because there were no great cities, most people lived in extreme poverty and there was little development in science and medicine. some later western scholars might also have believed it was a \dark\ age because christianity had not yet been fully accepted in europe. why wont you leave? wait...where are you going?!? the medieval period began when the powerful roman empire stretched itself too thin to defend its frontiers and maintain contact with isolated outposts in europe. consequently, it broke into two large pieces, the byzantine (eastern) empire and the western empire. the romans could only maintain control in the byzantine empire, leading to a power vacuum in western europe. subsequent invasions by vikings, goths, and moors, as well as infighting between neighboring kingdoms, began to change the nature of european life. the only safety from marauding invaders was provided by small kingdoms, rather than a functional central government. at first, people responded by grouping together in great halls for protection: in this one large room they would eat, sleep and find entertainment. as the waves of invaders continued, the seats of these kingdoms changed into castles with defendable walls. the feudal system, in which people gave food, loyalty or money to a leader in exchange for safety within his castle walls, developed. eventually, this led to monarchy (one king). the church: knowledge is power as the middle ages progressed, the catholic church was very much in control of medieval europe. unlike today, there was only one official church in europe, and this meant it was very powerful. what would normally be considered \progress\ was often frowned upon: art, literature and science were viewed with distrust unless they served to glorify the churchs teachings. in addition, communication and shared knowledge were limited during the medieval period, especially because travel was hard and dangerous. many people tended to stay local for safety reasons, and therefore, knew little about the outside world. books themselves were a rarity and the ability to read them was nearly as uncommon. in this time

Explanation:

The questions relate to historical events (fall of Roman Empire) and developments (feudal - system, castles) in the Middle Ages. The text provides context about the transition from the Roman Empire to the Middle Ages, including social, educational, and religious aspects.

Answer:

1. The Roman Empire stretched too thin to defend its frontiers and maintain contact with outposts, breaking into the Byzantine and Western Empires. This led to a power - vacuum in Western Europe, followed by invasions and changes in European life. The impact on people included the need for protection in great halls, the development of the feudal system, and a decline in education and cultural production.
2. Great halls developed as people grouped together for protection from marauding invaders. As invasions continued, the seats of kingdoms changed into castles with defensible walls. The feudal system developed as people gave food, loyalty, or money to a leader in exchange for safety within castle walls.