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 presents a new interpretation of this remarkable woman, examining her vibrant life and legacy. E. T. 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.

Review

"E.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

About the Author

E. T. Dailey is Associate Professor of Late Antique & Early Medieval History at the University of Leicester. He is the author of Queens, Consorts, Concubines: Gregory of Tours and Women of the Merovingian Elite , and editor of Portraits of Medieval Europe, 800-1400 (with Christian Raffensperger) and Monastic Space through Time (with Stephen Werronen).