In the 6th Century, England at least is almost entirely Pagan. As Romano-British authority collapses and Anglo-Saxon petty kingdoms establish themselves amid the chaos, so the Christian faith essentially disappears from England, replaced by the Germanic Paganism of the new arrivals. The Celtic Church did hold out in Wales and Ireland however.

Despite Merovingian attempts, England resists conversion until the very end of the 6th Century, with the arrival of the Augustinian mission to Æthelberht of Kent in 597. Æthelberht was married to a Christian Merovingian princess, but converting at her instigation would have made Æthelberht symbolically submissive to Francian rule. Converting directly to the Papal representative allowed Æthelberht to enter the Christian community as an independent king.

The conversion of England happens throughout the 7th century, and is a slow process largely dictated by the ever changing political trends throughout the multitude of smaller kingdoms. The Church allows for the rapid expansion of state infrastructure and governance over ever larger territories, and as Bretwaldas rise and fall, so increasingly do kingdoms adopt Christianity as a way of improving their authority and legitimacy.