In order to become a dynasty and create an empire, kings need a strong army. The army needs to be well trained and well equipped. The army needs to be disciplined and well organized. Charlemagne's army was all of these things. .
In order to conduct the military campaign's Charlemagne executed, he needed to know where everyone was all the time. He needed to keep his army's equipped and fed at all times. Charlemagne had his personal equipment and the equipment of his bishops, counts, abbots, and nobles carried in carts. It sounds like the army was equipped by the people, each soldier equipped himself or borrowed the equipment from another man. The borrower then fought in place for the man he borrowed from.
It was interesting that if a man was summoned and was late in arriving he had toabstain from flesh and wine for as many days as he shall have been proved to be late in coming?. Also, if a man was found drunk in the army he would be excommunicated, and would drink nothing but water until he admitted that he acted wrongly. If found guilty, deserters, would be put to death, their property would be confiscated for the treasury. .
It sounds like literacy was extremely low during this time, Charlemagne wanted to restore learning in his empire. He opened schools to the sons of free men as well as children of servile. He corrected all the books of the old and new testaments, blaming the copyists for the mistakes. Throughout the reading there is an intertwining of church and learning. He says that if they spend so much money and time in restoring churches, they should do the same on schools. He incorporates learning with speaking correctly, and by speaking you will please god. .
Charlemagne thinks that by restoring learning he could restore order. That educated men will conduct themselves in a higher manner. He may have also thought that by educating his solders they would be more disciplined and have a better knowledge of what they needed to do to accomplish their objectives.
