What were the influences on early medieval society?

Answer 1

There were a number of things that might be called the foundations of early medieval society.

First off were the customs, laws, and organization of the Roman Empire. These were not always destroyed when Germanic groups took over, and in some places remained more or less intact through centuries.

Interacting with this were the laws and customs of the Germanic tribes, which replace Roman laws and customs in many places.

The Church provide a third foundation, which was a powerful basis for continuity.

The codes of laws and customs intermingled in ways that were fascinating. A good example of this is in parts of France where Roman law, which was written in Latin, were considered to be in force, as opposed to other parts where Frankish law, which was not written but carefully memorized, was dominant.

Another example is in the Visigothic Kingdom in Spain, where citizens were divided into Romans (peoples whose ancestors were in Spain of Roman times) and Visigoths. These two groups were strictly segregated. Not only were they not allowed to marry each other, they were not even held to the same system of laws. The Romans obeyed Roman law, and the Visigoths obeyed Visigoth law, the two legal systems coexisting in the same place at the same time.

Regardless of ancestry, all these people were subject to the Church.

Economic and social customs such as the manorial system, can be traced into the Roman Empire. The condition of the medieval serfs, for example, was presaged by a decree of 323 by Constantine the Great, that bound all free tenant farmers to the soil on which they lived and worked.

Answer 2

Clearly, an important influence on society in the Early Middle Ages was the anarchy of the Age of Migrations.

The Church was an important influence.

Civilization of the Roman Empire was also important.

The traditions of the Germanic tribes were a heavy influence in legal and political areas.