<P> In Europe, a formalized institution of marriage was established . North of Italy, where masonry construction was never extinguished, stone construction was replacing timber in important structures . Deforestation of the densely wooded continent was under way . The 10th century marked a return of urban life, with the Italian cities doubling in population . London, abandoned for many centuries, was again England's main economic centre by 1000 . By 1000, Bruges and Ghent held regular trade fairs behind castle walls, a tentative return of economic life to western Europe . </P> <P> In the culture of Europe, several features surfaced soon after 1000 that mark the end of the Early Middle Ages: the rise of the medieval communes, the reawakening of city life, and the appearance of the burgher class, the founding of the first universities, the rediscovery of Roman law, and the beginnings of vernacular literature . </P> <P> In 1000, the papacy was firmly under the control of German Emperor Otto III, or "emperor of the world" as he styled himself . But later church reforms enhanced its independence and prestige: the Cluniac movement, the building of the first great Transalpine stone cathedrals and the collation of the mass of accumulated decretals into a formulated canon law . </P> <P> Consult particular article for details </P>

Which group invaded the germanic kingdoms of europe in the early 700s