Christianity played a major role throughout the Middle Ages in society and politics. The Middle Ages was significantly affected by Christianity because of the impact it had on the daily lives of people of the time. The beginning of the Early Middle Ages brought the reorganization of the empire through a desire for faith and religion. The church was often viewed as a center of corruption, greed, evil, and money-oriented popes. However, Christianity influenced the church by people's ability to focus on faith and a better life. Even though there were immoral times, the existence of Christianity brought hope and stability to the empire politically and socially. Christianity gave Rome a new lease on life. Particularly in the east, the Christianized Roman Empire, or the Byzantine Empire, remained strong for centuries. The key figure in establishing the Byzantine Empire was Constantine. Constantine faced enormous challenges, and realized he was going to have to make major changes if Rome was to survive. He also knew that old Rome was not the place to begin. It was then that Constantine decided to create a new capital. He chose the city of Byzantium for this capitol. Later, the city was called Constantinople, the city of Constantine. It was a perfect place from which to Christianize the empire. More than half of the population in that region was Christian already, so it was not difficult to continue the growth. Constantine favored Christianity, building beautiful churches and supporting Christian clergy, and this helped Constantine unify his people. Another way in which the Church gained power and changed society was through the Benedictine monasteries started by Benedict of Nursia. He started the monasteries on the principal that his monks commit themselves to the three standards of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Pope Gregory made sure that similar monasteries were established throughout Europe, and thousands of men rush to join the