Page "Chad of Mercia" Paragraph 12

These political and religious issues were constantly intertwined, and interacted in various ways.

Christianity in Britain and Ireland largely progressed through royal patronage, while kings increasingly used the Church to stabilize and to confer legitimacy on their fragile states.

A strongly local church with distinctive practices could be a source of great support to a fledgling state, allowing the weaving together of political and religious elites.

Conversely, the Roman connection introduced foreign influence beyond the control of local rulers, but also allowed rulers to display themselves on a wider, European stage, and to seek out more powerful sources of legitimacy.