Examining Europe's grim six-century-long period marked by famine, plague, persecutions and a persistent state of war that began with the fall of Rome in the fifth century A.D., and ended with the first Crusade. Also explored are the historical figures, including Clovis, Charles Martel, Alfred the Great, Charlemagne and St. Benedict, who brought stability and order to civilization during the era. Also explored are the period's political and cultural ideas that would shape Europe in the future.