In the Balkans the environment and culture blended to create a unique mix of religion and political circumstances. During the Roman period, Christianity was introduced into every major city but vanished during the barbarian invasions. In the ninth century, for the most part the ancestors of people who live there today converted from animism to Christianity. Once Christianity was accepted, a close tie with native chieftains and monarchs developed. This work considers the orthodox and Catholic churches that exist today in Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia. It is meant to expand on the general events that joined church and state.