They thought it would be over by Christmas
As of 2017, the second most populated country in Europe is Germany, with a current population of 82.79 million people.
Recently converted Britons, if we're talking about the Middle ages and the wave of christenings that were occuring at the time, then we can say that they were at first somewhat reluctant about their new faith. Over time, however, they had grown accustomed to it and respected it deeply.