The Middle Ages was a period in Western European history that followed the collapse of the Roman Empire between the 4th and 5th centuries and lasted up into the 15th century. Medieval Europe was far from unified. It was a large area split into small, culturally diverse units that were never totally in control by any one authority. With the collapse of the Roman Empire, Christianity became the backbone of Western civilization. The papacy gradually gained secular authority and monastic communities, generally under the Rule of St. Benedict, flourished during this time period. By the 8th century, culture centered on Christianity had been established. Feudalism, with the manorial system as its backbone, became the typical social and political organization of Europe. The new framework gained stability from the 11th century, as the invaders became Christian and settled and as prosperity was created by agricultural innovations, increasing productivity, and population expansion. As Europe entered the period known as the High Middle Ages, the church became the widespread and unifying institution. Strong popes, especially Gregory VII, worked for a renewed Europe guided by a centralized church, a goal which evolved under Innocent III. The church was weakened by internal conflicts as well as by quarrels between church and state. Finally, the great medieval unity of Christianity was shattered by the religious theories that culminated in the Protestant Reformation. The transition from the Greco-Roman world to the medieval world was a sharp break from the ancient past which preceded it. More specifically, the church and state were never separate entities during ancient times. Also, in terms of economics, the economy that was created in Greece and Rome centered on agriculture saw little change during the transition into the Middle Ages. Indeed, Europe during the Middle Ages took a sharp break from the tradition and legacy that was formed...