How not to… make the Saxon Wars drag out

Charlemagne was 24 when he first attacked the Saxons but he was 56 by the time the Saxon Wars ended, starting a French fashion for fighting l-o-n-g wars.

Part of the problem was that Charlemagne only campaigned intermittently. He would move through Saxony, defeating various tribes and securing their lands as he went but he frequently became distracted by other conflicts, such as with Lombardy.

He left fortresses behind to keep control during his absences but the Saxons rebels took advantage and raided them while he was gone. Charlemagne was then forced to return to squash the uprisings, forcing the Saxons to submit and convert to Christianity all over again, triggering a vicious cycle. If Charlemagne had remained solely focused on conquering Saxony, perhaps he could have conquered it a lot sooner.