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Abstract

This thesis reclaims the voice of Radegund, an early Christian saint and Merovingian queen from the sixth century, by analyzing the case study of three surviving letters—written in Latin—ascribed to her. The study critiques the historiographical erasure of Radegund which has focused on the role Fortunatus and Gregory of Tours played in the composition of the epistolary manuscripts. Scholars have debated the authorship of these letters, silencing Radegund without concrete evidence, and thereby excluding the possibility that she actively contributed to them in some capacity. Her three surviving letters should not be dismissed when the speaker identified as Radegund, an anomaly in her male biographers’ portfolios. The use of the feminine first-person in these texts supports the contention that Radegund either authorized or directly contributed to the creation of these letters. The thesis argues Radegund represented herself as a victim and survivor who used her influence to establish a religious life for herself and other women. This study criticizes the disregard of her letters in scholarship, builds upon existing arguments surrounding medieval authorship, and analyzes the letters written from Radegund’s point-of-view with the biographical texts for contextualization. It shows how she deliberately navigated the constraints of her historical and cultural context, using these writings to construct her authorial persona and legacy. Her voice and agency in these letters are crucial to understanding the gender dynamics and religious roles in Merovingian society.