Letter 25

From: The Austrasian Court To: [Diplomatic recipient] Date: ~562 AD Context: Austrasian letter 25; diplomatic correspondence on trade relationships and the treatment of merchants traveling between Frankish and neighboring territories. To our friends at the court of [the neighboring king], The arrangements for trade between our kingdoms that were established in the agreements of the previous generation have worked well, and it is our wish that they continue. We write because several disputes have arisen in the past year that, if left unresolved, could damage the goodwill that those arrangements depend on. The cases in question involve Frankish merchants who were charged customs duties at rates that do not correspond to the agreed schedule. We do not assume bad faith; more likely these are cases where local officials were not informed of the applicable agreements. But we want to resolve them promptly and to ensure that the correct rates are applied consistently going forward. We also raise the question of the church buildings in your territory that are used by the Frankish community resident there. They have asked us to inquire whether the status of those buildings is secure under your law. We raise this as a matter of friendship and not of claim. We look forward to your response and to the continued good relations between our peoples. From the court of Austrasia