Early Middle Ages
The collapse of the Roman Empire is usually considered the start of the Middle Ages  Germanic tribes took over the Roman land and turned vast tracts into feudal lands. Roman rule was replace by the rule of the strongest and Europe rapidly decade into the Dark Ages.

Culture
There were only two classes: the powerful rich, and the poor peasants. The wealthy lived in extravagant manors while the poor lived in small huts. Education was only for the select few. Medicine was rudimentary and often killed more than it cured.

Religion
The Catholic church was the only church in western Europe. The Pope had ultimate power and could force his will on the nobility, gentry and peasants. Any disagreement with the church, its doctrines or dogma was subject to a force of arms, excommunication or the Inquisition.

Government
Europeans ruled by a system called Feudalism.
Definition: "Tiered class system of medieval Europe in which land owned by someone of higher status was lived on and worked by someone of lower status in return for loyal service. The monarch was at the top of the pyramid, the peasants at the bottom. Feudalism began on the Continent as far back as the 8th century as a means of ensuring protection for powerful rulers against other powerful rulers. During the Middle Ages, certain provinces or countries recognized other kings as their feudal overlords." Source: Channel 4 History

The End
The Middle Ages came to an end with the rise of the merchants, the invention of gun powder, the Reformation, the Enlightenment and the discovery of the New World.

Warfare
War was common and brutal. The main form of defense was the fortress castles and the main form of offense were the knights, infantry, archers and the catapult.

History
The Middle Ages (Dark Ages, Medieval Period) began with the fall Rome and ended with the birth of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. It is marked by power struggles between the kings, lords and church over egos, land and wealth. Timeline