The fall of Rome in 476 CE had a profound impact on the secular world and the Catholic Church. The western world was plunged into the Dark Ages in politics and religion. The news of the collapse of Rome shocked the world, even though it had been predicted for many years. With the power structure in Rome in shambles, the Catholic Church began to gain more power. With the fall of the Roman empire the Catholic Church became a powerful political force by combining church and state. There were many reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire. One of the main reasons was that the Roman army drafted members for their army out of the armies of those that they conquered. The arrogance of the Roman army led to their ignoring “the enemy within.”
