Radegund
Encyclopedia
Radegund (ca. 520–586) was a 6th century Frankish
princess, who founded the monastery of the Holy Cross at Poitiers
. Canonized in the 9th century, she is the patron saint
of several English churches and of Jesus College, Cambridge
.
, one of the three kings of the German land Thuringia
. Radegund's uncle, Hermanfrid, killed Bertachar in battle, and took Radegund into his household. After allying with the Frankish
King Theuderic, Hermanfrid defeated his other brother Baderic
. However, having crushed his brothers and seized control of Thuringia, Hermanfrid reneged on his agreement with Theuderic to share sovereignty.
In 531, Theuderic returned to Thuringia with his brother Clotaire I
. Together they defeated Hermanfrid and conquered his kingdom. Clotaire I also took charge of Radegund, taking her back to Merovingian Gaul
with him and making her his wife.
Radegund was one of Clotaire I’s six wives or concubines (the other five being Guntheuca who was the widow of his brother Chlodomer, Chunsina, Ingund
, Ingund’s sister Aregund and Wuldetrada the widow of Clotaire's grand-nephew Theudebald). She bore him no children, and, after Clotaire I had her brother assassinated, she turned to God
, founding a nunnery in Poitiers
.
and the bishop, hagiographer
, and historian Gregory of Tours
. She wrote Latin poems to him on tablets that have been lost. The three of them seem to have been close and Fortunatus' relations with Radegund seem to have been based on friendship. There are two poems written in the voice of Radegund, De Excidio Thoringiae and Ad Artachin. While it has been proposed that Venantius wrote them, recent historians see her as the author.
Another hagiography was authored by the nun Baudovinia
. Radegund was also a close friend of Junian of Maire
; Junian and Radegonde are said to have died on the same day, on August 13, 586.
Radegund's funeral, at which Venantius Fortunatus and Gregory of Tours attended, was three days later.
Five English parish church
es are dedicated to her, and she had a chapel
in the old St Paul's Cathedral
, as well as in Gloucester
, Lichfield
, and Exeter Cathedral
s. Saint Radegund's Abbey, near Dover, was founded in her honour in 1191. She is also the patron saint
of Jesus College, Cambridge
, which was founded on the site of the 12th century nunnery of Saint Mary and Saint Radegund.
The St Radegund public house
in Cambridge
is named in her honour.
There are many places named Sainte-Radegonde
in France.
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
princess, who founded the monastery of the Holy Cross at Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
. Canonized in the 9th century, she is the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of several English churches and of Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...
.
Life history
Radegund was born about 520 to BertacharBertachar
Berthar or Bertachar was a son of Bisinus and Basina. He and his brothers Hermanfrid and Baderic succeeded their father Bisinus to the rule over the Thuringii. Berthar, however, was soon defeated by Hermanfrid in battle....
, one of the three kings of the German land Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
. Radegund's uncle, Hermanfrid, killed Bertachar in battle, and took Radegund into his household. After allying with the Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
King Theuderic, Hermanfrid defeated his other brother Baderic
Baderic
Baderic, Baderich, Balderich or Boderic , son of Bisinus and Basina, was a co-king of the Thuringii. He and his brothers Hermanfrid and Berthar succeeded their father Bisinus. After Hermanfrid defeated Berthar in battle, he invited King Theuderic I of Metz to help him defeat Baderic in return for...
. However, having crushed his brothers and seized control of Thuringia, Hermanfrid reneged on his agreement with Theuderic to share sovereignty.
In 531, Theuderic returned to Thuringia with his brother Clotaire I
Clotaire I
Chlothar I , called the Old , King of the Franks, was one of the four sons of Clovis. He was born circa 497, in Soissons .-Life:...
. Together they defeated Hermanfrid and conquered his kingdom. Clotaire I also took charge of Radegund, taking her back to Merovingian Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
with him and making her his wife.
Radegund was one of Clotaire I’s six wives or concubines (the other five being Guntheuca who was the widow of his brother Chlodomer, Chunsina, Ingund
Ingund, wife of Clotaire I
Ingonde, Ingund, or Ingunda was the daughter of King Baderic of Thuringia . She was the wife of Clotaire I and queen of the Franks. She was the mother of Charibert I, Guntram, and Sigebert I. She was the sister of one of Clotaire's other wives, Aregund....
, Ingund’s sister Aregund and Wuldetrada the widow of Clotaire's grand-nephew Theudebald). She bore him no children, and, after Clotaire I had her brother assassinated, she turned to God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, founding a nunnery in Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
.
Literary connections
Radegund was extensively written about and to by the poet Venantius FortunatusVenantius Fortunatus
Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus was a Latin poet and hymnodist in the Merovingian Court, and a Bishop of the early Catholic Church. He was never canonised but was venerated as Saint Venantius Fortunatus during the Middle Ages.-Life:Venantius Fortunatus was born between 530 and 540 A.D....
and the bishop, hagiographer
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
, and historian Gregory of Tours
Gregory of Tours
Saint Gregory of Tours was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of Gaul. He was born Georgius Florentius, later adding the name Gregorius in honour of his maternal great-grandfather...
. She wrote Latin poems to him on tablets that have been lost. The three of them seem to have been close and Fortunatus' relations with Radegund seem to have been based on friendship. There are two poems written in the voice of Radegund, De Excidio Thoringiae and Ad Artachin. While it has been proposed that Venantius wrote them, recent historians see her as the author.
Another hagiography was authored by the nun Baudovinia
Baudovinia
Baudovinia was a nun and hagiographer. Very little is known about her. She is the author of the "second part" of the Vita Radegundis, a biography of Radegund, which she wrote at Chelles Abbey sometime between 599 and 614. With the former half having been authored by Venantius Fortunatus, she...
. Radegund was also a close friend of Junian of Maire
Junian of Mairé
Saint Junian was a 6th century Christian hermit and abbot. He was the founder of Mairé, or Mariacum, Abbey in Poitou, France. He was born at the beginning of the 6th century, at Brioux near Champagné-le-Sec....
; Junian and Radegonde are said to have died on the same day, on August 13, 586.
Radegund's funeral, at which Venantius Fortunatus and Gregory of Tours attended, was three days later.
Later history
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
es are dedicated to her, and she had a chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
in the old St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
, as well as in Gloucester
Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the river. It originated in 678 or 679 with the foundation of an abbey dedicated to Saint Peter .-Foundations:The foundations of the present...
, Lichfield
Lichfield Cathedral
Lichfield Cathedral is situated in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. It is the only medieval English cathedral with three spires. The Diocese of Lichfield covers all of Staffordshire, much of Shropshire and part of the Black Country and West Midlands...
, and Exeter Cathedral
Exeter Cathedral
Exeter Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter at Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city of Exeter, Devon in South West England....
s. Saint Radegund's Abbey, near Dover, was founded in her honour in 1191. She is also the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...
, which was founded on the site of the 12th century nunnery of Saint Mary and Saint Radegund.
The St Radegund public house
St Radegund public house
The St Radegund public house, in King Street, Cambridge, England, is a notable English pub. The pub is named for St Radegund, a saint associated with the nearby Jesus College....
in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
is named in her honour.
There are many places named Sainte-Radegonde
Sainte-Radegonde
Sainte-Radegonde is the name of several communes in France. These places are named after Radegund:* Sainte-Radegonde, Aveyron, in the Aveyron département* Sainte-Radegonde, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime département...
in France.
External links
- Other Women's Voices Useful guide to some of the works on Radegund including links to on-line materials.
- A biography of St Radegund at the Jesus College, University of Cambridge. St Radegund is the College's patron saint.