He was a great soldier. For thirty years he carried on a war
against the Saxons. Finally he conquered them, and their great
chief, Wittekind, submitted to him. The Saxons were a people of
Germany, who then lived near the land of the Franks. They spoke
the same language and were of the same race as the Franks, but had
not been civilized by contact with the Romans.

They were still pagans, just as the Franks had been before Clovis
became a Christian. They actually offered human sacrifices.

After Charlemagne conquered them he made their lands part of his
kingdom. A great number of them, among whom was Wittekind, then
became Christians and were baptized; and soon they had churches
and schools in many parts of their country.

Another of Charlemagne's wars was against the Lombards.

Pepin, as you have read, had defeated the Lombards and given to
the Pope part of the country held by them. The Lombard king now
invaded the Pope's lands and threatened Rome itself; so the Pope
sent to Charlemagne for help.

Charlemagne quickly marched across the Alps and attacked the Lombards.
He drove them out of the Pope's lands and took possession of their
country.

After he had conquered the Lombards he carried on war, in 778,
in Spain. A large portion of Spain was then held by the Moorish
Saracens. But a Mohammedan leader from Damascus had invaded