The Dark Ages of Europe were dark indeed. It started off with the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD. A barbarian by the name of Odoacer who took over the emperor of the time, Romulus Augustulus. During this time period there were many backward practices and the wrong doings of people, therefore named The "Dark" Ages. Many struggles were caused by religious beliefs between the Orthodox Christians and Catholics. This time period also included the vast conquest of Muslims along with other nomadic tribes. Despite the huge role of religion many people believed in the complete opposite. They saw the world of religion as a make believe reality that was based off emotion rather than rationality. This thought process spread and it became a widely spread form of "enlightenment" in this time period. The scientific path that was created allowed the larger battle, Faith vs Enlightenment, to take form. These problems have overtook and placed all the good and progress in history in the shadows therefore most of the so called "Dark Ages" is unknown or vague to us.