As trade and cities grew during the Middle Ages, people began to acquire rights and freedoms from local lords.
The majority of Western Europe was under the dominion of the Roman Empire before the Middle Ages. Europe was a well-organized and cohesive continent during Roman rule. However, the Roman Empire was split in half in 400 A.D., with the western and eastern halves. The east prospered over time as the west deteriorated. As several Germanic tribes began to settle in the nations of Western Europe, they established their own legal systems and ruled themselves as their own chiefs or kings. Westerners' way of life significantly changed when there was no centralized authority.
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