But First, Let Me Pray God: The True Definition of Queenship

The one consistent thing we have seen in the depiction of women, especially those of the early medieval period, is the idea of them as pious individuals. The term pious refers to the state of being devoutly religious; this definition is the role of a queen. The word “queen” often illustrates the image of a woman placed majestically next to a king but through the usage of examples like Theodora and Brunhild versus one like Radegund, we see the true ecclesiastical component of queenship, which entails true queens are instruments of God through their position to serve.

The portrayals of Theodora and Brunhild are rather damaging in retrospect and tarnish the legacy of their name. One of the best examples of this is Prokopios’ Secret History, a source that tarnishes Theodora’s reputation as a queen but also as a woman. In this text, he claims that she is a “hillbilly” and comes from nothing, mainly referencing her beginnings as an actor, which at the time was synonymous with prostitution. He describes her sexual affairs with many men, including her son, to insist that she is “loose and immoral”. These descriptions are essentially gossip that serve to portray her as impious and therefore unfit for queenship. A similar example is the case of Brunhild, a mere, sweet grandmother who, honestly, just liked to gossip. Brunhild, who is narrated to us by Gregory of Tours, is the perfect example of someone who utilized the power of instigation; Gregory of Tours tells us many accounts of how she harnessed the power of rumors and manipulation of emotions to help her get her way. For instance, she spread word to entice Merovech to marry her and warned against Queen Fredegund (her mortal enemy). Brunhild’s constant spread of gossip and manipulative information made her simple, angelic image hard to fully imagine. Once again, we see that impious depiction that makes the reader question her purity and her fitness for her role.

Now, Radegund was the ideal example of what a queen should be; a Christ-like figure, a servant of God who also looked out for the welfare of the mortal world. She was the daughter of a Thuringian king, captured during war and taken to Francia to be a wife. She had a mature composure even as a small child, and she had a consuming connection to God. She was detached from material life to the point that she would eat bread made of barley and wear clothing with uncomfortable fur on the interior as a constant reminder of God. She would share all that she possessed with those who were less fortunate, spent most of her time praying, and would frequent the monastery. She had an empty marriage, which contradicted with the marriages of the previously mentioned queens who were very intimately active; Radegund was extremely detached from the bedroom to the point that she would spend nights on the cold, bathroom floor and return when the king would wake rather than sleeping comfortably in her bed. This detachment from material pleasures promoted her sainthood. Radegund was not hesitant in fleeing her position as we see when she leaves her husband and, most importantly, the queenship behind. This dismissal further strengthened her image of a saintly figure; someone who was willing to abandon all luxuries of her life. She ultimately founded a convent and acquired sacred items to display there. Coincidentally, these items were the fruits of her former position, showing us again her role of pious queenship gave her networks to religious avenues.

Juxtaposing these accounts, we can claim that due to the lack of similarity between Radegund and the two other queens, Theodora and Brunhild, we can see how the depictions of the latter queens was used to stain their images as they did not align with the “ideal” queenlike image. Using Radegund as the point of reference is crucial to note because at this time the term “queen” was difficult to define, as it still is nowadays, but the usage of models and tradition was the benchmark utilized to assess queenship. In addition, the pious aspect was especially crucial in that the king and queen were to be the servants of God and ruled in the favor of God, the concept of the queen was instrumental in conveying how the state of the kingdom was dependent upon the pleasing of God and therefore the pleasing of the queen. We see this in various ways when there is unrest in the kingdoms; Theodora had public revolts and Brunhild had enemies seeking her death. On the contrary, Radegund was not subject to slander or malicious depictions all due to her existential relation to God. In all, Radegund was the ultimate model of how to be queen.