anes. The longest
             of these battles was against the Saxons, lasting thirty-three years. Charlemagne actually
             defeated them many times, but due to their faithlessness and their propensity to return to
             their pagan lifestyle, the Saxons lost many lives in the prolonged battles with the Franks.
             With each conquest the Frankish kingdom grew, and with growth came additional power
             and responsibility for Charlemagne. In each area of Europe that was taken over by
             Charlemagne, he removed the leaders if they would not convert to Christianity and
             appointed new ones, usually someone with high position in the Church. Those people who
             refused to convert or be baptized in the church were put to death. (Holmes 75)
             The Church played a vital role in the kingdom of Charlemagne. It gave a sense of stability
             to Charlemagne's rule, and he in turn provided stability in the Church. The people
             conquered by Charlemagne, after being converted to Christianity, were taught through the
             Bible a unified code of right and wrong. It was necessary for the Church to play a role in
             this education of the people, because only the clergy were educated. (Boussard 92) The
             Church also guided Charlemagne's hand as a ruler, for he took on many conquests as a
             necessity to spread the Christian religion throughout Europe. (Ganshoff 19) Indeed, it
             appears that Charlemagne's desire to spread his kingdom and government was
             intertwined with his desire to spread the Christian religion and have the people live
             according to the Word of God. (Ganshoff 25)
             At the beginning of the Carolingian dynasty the Church was suffering from many problems....