How were the Middle Ages similar and different in Western Europe and in the Byzantine Empire (for example, government, religion, trade, geography, defence, language, lifestyle, etc.) ?

The main difference in the Middle ages between Western Europe and in the Byzantine Empire was that the latter still had heavy influenced of the Roman empire while the Middle ages in Western Europe were much more riddled with barbarian invasions. With that, the Byzantine empire had a higher culture in a way which was also more sophisticated.