This new religious situation, certainly not initiated by Charles but promoted by him, was decisive for the cultural and religious life of Francia. The destructive wars of pacification and the transformation of the episcopacy eliminated the cultivation of letters that had so long been associated with episcopal culture. Ravaged by the armies of Charles and his son Pippin III, Aquitaine ceased.to be a center of learning, as did Provence. The tradition of literate laymen virtually died out, as did their role in the royal and maioral chancelleries. Writing became a virtual monopoly of the clergy, and as a result the use of writing, so important throughout Merovingian history, decreased accordingly.
Viewed from the perspective of Roman cultural tradition and Gallo-Roman civic identity, the results were no doubt disastrous. However, in effect Charles Martel accomplished what no other secular power had been able to do in the previous two centuries. By his manipulation of ecclesiastical office, by the confiscation of the wealth it controlled, and by the appointment of ignorant and entirely world lay supporters, he finally succeeded in destroying the religious basis on which had long rested the independent power of the Frankish episcopate. Henceforth medieval bishops would be powerful lords, at times rivaling in power dukes, counts, and even kings. They would never again command that particular power as monopolists of the sacred as they had in previous centuries. This role, along with the lead in cultural life, would pass to monasteries.
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