The document summarizes medieval Europe after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. It describes how the Byzantine Empire in Eastern Europe maintained Roman traditions and Greek culture with a strong military, culture, and commerce. In Western Europe, central government broke down, trade was disrupted, cities were abandoned, and populations shifted rural as Christianity remained a major unifying force that spread to Germanic tribes. By 1000 CE, the Byzantine Empire was losing land to Islamic Turks as weak states started forming in Western Europe.
