Description
Book SynopsisA 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 presents a new interpretation of this remarkable w
Trade ReviewE.T. Dailey's Radegund is both meticulously researched and supremely readable, imbued with a rare, propulsive energy. Here, finally, is Radegund fully-realized-audacious and imperfect, pioneer and survivor. * Shelley Puhak, author of The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World *
E.T. Dailey has produced a sparkling new biography of Radegund. He does so by a meticulous reading of the sources, and by reminding the reader of her cultural context, steeped as it was in the Bible. As a result, the royal saint appears freshly minted, as does her community of the Holy Cross, and those around her, even the leading members of the Merovingian family. * Ian Wood, Professor Emeritus, University of Leeds, FBA *
Table of ContentsMap 1: Gaul in the Sixth Century Map 2: Poitiers in the Time of Radegund List of Figures Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1. And the Lots Were Cast Chapter 2. A Temple Consumed by Fire Chapter 3. What Can Man Do Unto Me? Chapter 4. They Will Be as Bears and Wolves Chapter 5. The Lord Knows His Own Chapter 6. Veil of Veils, Holy of Holies Chapter 7. Like Eve Driven from Paradise Chapter 8. Amen Appendix 1: Radegund's Letter Dominis sanctis Appendix 2: Family Tree of Select Merovingians Bibliography Index
