E. T. Dailey, "Radegund: The Trials and Triumphs of a Merovingian Queen" (Oxford UP, 2023)

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Nov 26, 2023

Dr. Aaron Thomas-Daly, an Associate Professor at the University of Leicester, dives into the captivating life of Radegund, a Merovingian queen who navigated immense challenges. He sheds light on her transformation from a captive bride to a pioneering deaconess and founder of a convent. Radegund's duality is explored—her piety and political acumen—contrasting hagiographic portraits with her real influence. The discussion also reveals her quest for relics of the True Cross and how her legacy shaped female monasticism, paving the way for future queens.

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ANECDOTE

From Princess To Plunder

Radegund was captured when the Franks destroyed her Thuringian kingdom and many of her family were killed.
She became literally part of the spoils of war and was disputed between Clothar and his half-brother.

INSIGHT

Agency Within Constrained Circumstances

Despite captivity and almost no independence, Radegund exercised agency by manipulating circumstances around her wedding.
She fled the private villa wedding and forced a public coronation in Soissons to secure visible queenly status.

INSIGHT

Queenhood and Spiritual Longing Intertwined

Radegund combined royal identity and growing religious devotion, feeling isolated despite opulence.
Her inability to bear children eroded her courtly security and pushed her toward a religious alternative.

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A princess born to the Thuringian royal house. A captive in war, forced to marry the Frankish king who killed her family. A queen, who renounced her position, received consecration as a deaconess, and took monastic vows. A religious leader, who acquired a fragment of the Cross of the Crucifixion for her convent of Holy Cross in Poitiers. And, lastly, a saint, remembered for her healings, exorcisms, and extreme self-mortification. Such was Radegund, a woman who lived through an era defined by headlong change. Honored as a "mother" by subsequent Frankish kings and as a holy woman by her nuns and devotees, Radegund enjoyed a reputation for righteousness that spread throughout the whole of medieval Europe, with later queens emulating her pious achievements. For generations, she defined medieval queenship, female monastic practice, and the expectations associated with holy women. Today, she is often envisioned as a pan-European saint.

Radegund: The Trials and Triumphs of a Merovingian Queen (Oxford University Press, 2023) by Dr. E. T. Dailey presents a new interpretation of this remarkable woman, examining her vibrant life and legacy. Dr. Dailey shows how she succeeded in establishing a place for herself within this difficult and dangerous world, despite the trials she faced. He also demonstrates how Radegund achieved a position of prominence as a woman in a foreign land without resorting to the violence and intrigue that characterized the lives of other prominent women during this period. Based on a wealth of English, French, and German scholarship, this book will equip experts and lay readers with a concise, authoritative, and accessible portrait of Radegund.

This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose forthcoming book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars.

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