Letter 10

From: Brunhild, Queen of Austrasia To: Pope Gregory the Great Date: ~596 AD Context: The powerful Merovingian queen-regent writes to Gregory requesting support for her church-building program and the conversion of remaining pagans in her territory. Brunhild, queen, to the most blessed and holy Pope Gregory. I write to the shepherd of all shepherds with respect for your office and with genuine need for your support. The work of building up the church in the territories I govern is ongoing, and it requires resources, patronage, and — I want to be honest — the prestige of papal recognition. A church or monastery that has been founded with the blessing of Rome carries a weight that one founded by royal initiative alone does not. The specific request: I am planning the endowment of several monastic houses in the regions where Christianity is still thin and where the old practices persist alongside the new faith. I ask you to send relics for these foundations, to confirm their establishment under papal protection, and to commend to me any clergy who might be suitable for the missionary work these foundations will require. I know that your view of the Frankish church and its governance is not always entirely approving. I have read your letters to various bishops here with interest and occasional frustration. But I believe our aims are the same: a Frankish kingdom that is genuinely, deeply Christian, rather than superficially baptized. This common aim should allow us to work together even when we disagree on particulars. I await your reply. Brunhild, queen of the Franks