medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Since I posted this question and saved Jo Ann's
response (and ordered her book), I thought I'd repost
the entire message for the two recent queries.
MG
>
> Everything I've read about Radegund indicates
> that
> >she escaped her marriage by becoming a nun.
> Obviously
> >I need to read more scholarly and reputable works.
> Any
> >suggestions?
>
> Please forgive the reek of self-promotion. The
> biographies of Radegund by
> Fortunatus and Baudonivia as well as a poem written
> in the first person on
> The Thuringian War, have been translated in "Sainted
> Women of the Dark Ages"
> by me, John Halborg and Gordon Whatley (Duke
> University PRess, 1991).
>
> A deaconess is not the same as a nun, though
> Radegund certainly retired to a
> convent. A married person could not legally break
> her/his marriage vows in
> order to enter religious life unless the spouse also
> undertook vows of
> future chastity. Granted that in Chlothar's case,
> that is to laugh! But at
> the crucial moment, he was actively trying to
> recover his wife and certainly
> not willing to give her permission to take vows.
> A deaconess, on the
> other hand, is a religiously consecrated woman but
> may be married and is not
> expected to withdraw from the world. Therefore, if
> Chlothar had retrieved
> his queen she (and the bishop who consecrated her)
> would not be in violation
> of the vows she had taken.
>
> Fortunatus was given to writing flirty little poems
> to Radegund and to
> Agnes, flattering them and making reference to
> little parties they
> apparently enjoyed featuring sweet meats or other
> little treats. Novelists
> are in the business of spicing up life but I see no
> reason to imagine that
> their relationship ever involved anything beyond a
> pleasant exchange of
> compliments.
>
> Jo Ann McNamara
>
>
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