This book provides a set of thematic interpretations of one of the most dynamic and formative periods in Europe's history. The Early Middle Ages is a period of transition from the relatively coherent world of the Roman Empire and its provinces to the disparate world of early medieval Europe, where local differences assume a far greater significance, but where, nonetheless, the region is leant a strong coherence through the institutional religion of Latin Christianity. This book follows the key themes of politics, society, economy, culture, religion, and the position of Europe in the wider world through six hundred years of transition, focusing primarily on the territory of Latin Christian Europe, but incorporating comparisons with other areas affected by western European civilisation, such as Scandinavia, eastern Europe, and Byzantium.