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The Decline of Rome and Transformation into Medieval Europe: Contents 1. Introduction / 2 2. The extinction of Paganism and the entrenchment of Christianity / 3 – 4 3. The destruction of the Western Empire at the hands of the barbarians / 5 – 6 4. Conclusion / 7 5. Bibliography / 8 Introduction The core character of Roman civilization is defined firstly in Empire, and secondly in the cultural pluralism which the greater part of the emperors of the Roman Ancient world patronized and tolerated. The core character of medieval civilization on the other hand lies in the shared Christian identity of its communities and it exclusive religious dogma, characterized by intolerance and ignorance. There are essentially three major forces that account for the change from the old Roman Empire, to the medieval European order. The first is the transfer of the Christian religion from Palestine and its propagation amongst pagan peoples in Europe. The second was the relentless drive of barbarian peoples from Asia into Europe. The third was the division and eventual rift between the Western and Eastern halves of the Roman world. With the disintegration of the Roman Empire, by the thr