ABSTRACT
The life of Radegund (c.525-587), a princess of the Thuringian royal house, provides an opportunity to examine in detail an example of heroic asceticism that, as far as can be ascertained, went well beyond the usual practices of asceticism in the Merovingian Frankish kingdoms. We know of Radegund primarily from a brief poem of lamentation1 and two vitae, one written by Venantius Fortunatus2
(d.609), a poet cleric and later bishop and saint who was Radegund’s confessor, supporter, and lifelong friend, and from a separate and later vita written by Baudonivia,3 a nun who lived at the same convent as Radegund in Poitiers shortly after Radegund’s death. Baudonivia had direct access to informed persons who had lived with Radegund. Radegund also is mentioned in Gregory of Tours’ History of the Franks,4 initially in connection with the events described below, and later as part of his narratives about Merovingian politics.
