Baudonivia (fl. 6-7th century) was tasked with writing a new biography of a queen and saint. She rose to the challenge, providing us with a unique perspective.
Little is known about Baudonivia’s origins. She was likely a Frank and, judging by the information she provides in her writing, had lived at Reims or Metz at the court of King Sigebert I and Queen Brunhilda.
Before 587, Baudonivia had joined the Abbey of the Holy Cross in Poitiers, which typically welcomed daughters of the aristocracy. At the beginning of the 7th century, Baudonivia was asked by Abbess Dedimia to write about the life of Saint Radegund.
Radegund (d. 587) had been the convent’s founder. Taken as a war captive, she had been forced to marry King Chlothar I. She later fled the court, entered religious life, and founded the Abbey of the Holy Cross. There, the former queen remained an important spiritual figure.
The bishop Fortunatus had already written a hagiography of Radegund. But Abbess Dedimia found it lacking. She therefore asked Baudonivia to complete his work. Since Baudonivia had known Radegund personally, she was perfectly suited for the task.
Baudonivia’s Life of Radegund
Baudonivia undertook her task with humility, writing:
“It is no less impossible to undertake the work you have assigned to me than it would be to touch heaven with my fingers, that I should presume to write something about the life of our holy lady, Radegund.”
Fortunatus had already written much about Radegund, but Baudonivia found her own voice. In the twenty-eight chapters of her work, she offered a different vision of the abbess. Whereas Fortunatus portrayed Radegund as an abstract figure with a limited horizon, Baudonivia depicted her as deeply involved in the world, exploring both her public and private life.
Her Radegund is not a distant icon, but a woman of action. Baudonivia included an episode—though likely a hagiographic trope—in which Radegund orders the destruction of a pagan shrine. As armed men threaten her with swords, the queen stands on her horse, unafraid. Baudonivia also gave her a strong political dimension, presenting her as an active peacemaker.
Later scholars criticized the rusticity of Baudonivia’s style, something she herself acknowledged. But her writing reflects the evolution of the Latin language at the time. She wasn’t trying to write in classical Latin—she wrote to be understood.
Baudonivia’s work should therefore not be dismissed or seen merely as an appendix to Fortunatus’ Vita. Her biography reflects deeply personal insights and observations. As a woman writing about a woman, Baudonivia offers a unique perspective on Saint Radegund’s strategies and a more nuanced understanding of sanctity.
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Dailey Erin T., Radegund: The Trials and Triumphs of a Merovingian Queen
Lantéri Roger Xavier, Les Mérovingiennes
Joye Sylvie, “Baudonivie”
Schlenburg Jane Tibbetts, Forgetful of Their Sex, Female Sanctity and Society, Ca. 500-1100
