Following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the late fifth century, the Mediterranean Sea was still a center of trade and travel. Rome was still considered a prestigious piece of real estate to own, as it had been the seat of power for several centuries in Western Europe. Constantinople's influence and geographic location helped it to remain a huge center of trade for Europe and Asia, and that would continue for centuries to come. (McEvedy, p25, 40) Consequently, this created a surplus in the treasury sufficient for Justinian to attempt a reconquering of the West in the early to mid-sixth century.

However, in later centuries, Western Europe became more land based, and the center moved north of the Mediterranean coast. As the Roman Empire had been agrarian based, so was the lifestyl

The word "diplomacy" can be misleading in dealing with the affairs of the Middle Ages. Diplomacy tends to give the impression that a compromise is attempting to be reached. For the most part in the Roman Empire, their diplomatic affairs that were limited to encounters with the Germanic tribes, consisted of either paying them off, or going to war with them. Generally, the Empire was more successful in its campaigns than the Germans due to its legions and superior commanders.

During the Carolingian reign, nobles were granted booty as reward and incentive to support the current king. The problem inherent with this system is that it requires a constant stream of war and victories to appease the nobles. Therefore, "with the flow of lands and booty drying up, many great landholders deserted the monarchy and looked to their own interests." (Hollister, p109) Another issue with this system is that it creates hereditary titles that may not feel allegiance to the monarch. To solve this aspect, lands and titles were granted to members of the clergy, who because of vows of celibacy did not have children. Thus at the demise of the clergyman, the title and lands would revert back to the crown to be awarded to someone else.

If there is one constant from the Roman Empire lasting through the Middle Ages, it is war. The Roman Empire had a standing army of 400,000 well-trained legionnaires. These foot soldiers were spread throughout the borderlands of the Empire to protect from invasion and secure against revolts. While successful during the height of the empire, their effectiveness began to wane as they faced new enemies with new fighting styles, such as horse mounted light cavalry and archers.

e for the myriad of cultures and peoples that had migrated to the West. The land there was well suited for it as, "Northwestern Europe's dependable, year-round rainfall and the fertile soils of its numerous river valleys encourage agricultural productivity." (Hollister, p56-57) The new kingdoms that formed placed their interests in these fertile valleys of the West, and not so much in the Mediterranean.

Warfare in the following centuries was a determinant of political power. The more battles you won, the more land and booty you acquired. The early kings were basically warrior chieftains who were more successful than their rivals were. Booty from campaigns was a large source of acquiring wealth, considering that taxes, and money in general, were almost nonexistent. Charlemagne used lands won in battle as rewards to his nobles, who supplied him with troops. One reason the Church allied with him and named him Holy Roman Emperor is because he controlled so much land in Western Europe. While inventions and creativity in domestic life were rare, there wa

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Approximate Word count = 1867
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)