 The bishops were thus deprived of rights and income that had been theirs since the Carolingian era, with which their service to the king was traditionally made possible and rewarded.If these regalia were returned to the empire, the bishops could only live off their own property, the tithe and alms, limit them to their ministry, that increased their dependence on the Pope.They would have lost all political rights and responsibilities in the empire and be dependent on secular protection.