<b>Religion in the Dark Ages<b>

Christianity had become the official religion of the Roman Empire in the fourth
century and had begun spreading among the Germanic tribes before the fall of Rom
e. The split of the Roman Empire into eastern and western halves also resulted i
n a split within the Christian Church. The western part, centered in Rome, becam
e Catholic. The eastern part, centered in Constantinople, became Orthodox. In th
e seventh century, one of the last of the world's great religions, Islam, was fo
unded in Arabia.
<i>Christianity<i>
The spread of Christianity among the barbarians was a powerful civilizing force
and helped to ensure that some vestiges of Roman law and the Latin language carr
ied on in France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Only in England was Roman Christia
nity subsumed by pagan beliefs. The Franks became Catholic under Clovis and ther
eafter spread Christianity to the Germans across the Rhine. The Byzantines sprea
d Orthodox Christianity among the Bulgars and Slavs.
Christianity was brought to Ireland by St. Patrick in the early fifth century an
d spread from there into Scotland and back into England from the north. In the l
ate sixth century, Pope Gregory the Great sent missionaries into England from th
e south. Within a century, England was Christian once again.
<i>Monasteries<i>
During the turmoil of the Dark Ages, a few strongly committed Christians withdre
w from society to live as hermits, usually on the wild and forbidding edge of ci
vilization. Hermits in turn inspired more conventional priests to pledge vows of
poverty and service, harkening back to the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Many of these priests formed new communities of like believers called monasterie
s. Pope Gregory encouraged the building of monasteries throughout Christian Euro
pe. In parts of Europe they became the only remaining centers of learning. Irish
monks, for example, are credited by some with preserving civilization in their
monasteries. Irish monks went out into other parts of Europe to teach and revive
an interest in learning. Monasteries were the main source of educated men who c
ould help administer government, and many became important assistants to kings.
In time monasteries grew wealthy with donations of land, as did the Roman church
. Different monastic orders were founded with different goals. Some kept entirel
y to themselves, some trained missionaries to be sent into the wild, some advise
d the popes on church doctrine, and others provided important community service
such as care for the elderly, health care, and emergency relief.
<i>Islam<i>
Islam was founded in Arabia in the seventh century by the prophet Mohammed. It s
pread rapidly and inspired a great movement of conquest. The political map of No
rth Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia changed almost overnight. All of N
orth Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, the Middle East, Asia Minor, Iraq, Iran, Afg
hanistan, parts of India, Pakistan, and part of Russia became Muslim. During the
brief period that the Islamic Empire remained united, it threatened to accompli
sh its goal of converting the entire world to its beliefs. The stability and eco
nomic growth within the new Muslim world brought peace and prosperity far in adv
ance of that in western Europe of the time. The Muslim culture surpassed even th
e Byzantines in art, science, medicine, geography, trade, and philosophy.
Conflicts between the Muslims and Christians resulted in the Crusades, a series
of attempts by western Christians to regain the Holy Lands in Palestine.