Rome had three heirs, who were they, and what do you believe to be each ones most important achievement, and why? * The Western Christian Empire * The western Roman Empire was overrun by German barbarians in the 5th century, and this land would go on to become the Western Christian Empire. * They were a society consisting of farmers, herders, warriors, and a hereditary nobility. * It was Charlemagne, as king of this empire, that would help to create what I believe to be the greatest achievement of the Western Christian Empire. * Charlemagne made educational reforms to his empire that had resounding effects on the history of western Europe. * This included setting up grammar schools in each parish for the teaching of Latin, which had been made the lingua franca of his empire. By doing that, he was able to increase literacy amongst the common man and place a heavier emphasis on creating a more educated society. * Alcuin of York set up scriptoriums for the copying of Roman Classics. * This was extremely beneficial in conserving knowledge of the ancient world through into the modern day. This empire realized the importance not just of knowledge itself but of the preservation of said knowledge as well. * The medium used for writing during this time was an expensive one and very costly, difficult, and time consuming to make. It is for this reason that a new kind of handwriting was developed, called Carolingian miniscule. This new writing was very small and very neat. Using this style of writing enabled scribes to more efficiently use their materials they had available to them in order to create cheaper, more compact books so they would be more readily available to those who were interested. * The Byzantine Empire * The Byzantine Empire was one that rose directly from the ashes