ABSTRACT
The principal focus in this chapter is the history of portions of the western empire that, after the fall of Rome in 426 AD, came under the control of a
number of Germanic kings and ultimately emerged as the countries we are
familiar with today. During this time, criminal justice changed markedly from that of the ancient world. As medieval Europe sank into a period of confusion
and illiteracy called the Dark Ages, Christianity became one of the sole unify-
ing factors in Western civilization. Consequently, the Roman Catholic Church was one of the few remaining vestiges of Roman imperial authority. Yet the
rapid disruption of ancient Roman systems of transportation (and thus communication) vastly increased the cultural distance between Rome and the rest
of Europe. The church gradually fell under the administrative control of pow-
erful local bishops and archbishops, and New Testament Christianity gave way to a special mix of Christian principles and local pagan (nature worship)
customs and practices. For example, the midwinter date for Christmas drew
upon a pagan festival held during the winter solstice, and it is believed that the “Christmas tree” originated in the practices of Druids, who were known
to worship trees. Moreover, the design of the Celtic cross incorporated the
traditional symbol of Christianity with an older symbol used by those who
recognized the sun as a god.
