Dr. John Rao explains that in the early Middle Ages, from the 500's through the 900's, the Church had a number of battles with Byzantine Emperors and pagan influenced men in the civil service, all of whom resorted to "Black Legends" to attack her. One major example of these emerged during the Iconoclast Controversy, during which the Church in general, and monks in particular, were accused of destroying family life, decreasing the population, weakening an interest in military service, and aiding the growth of superstition.