Friendship in the Merovingian Kingdoms : Venantius Fortunatus and His Contemporaries

"This book explores how one early medieval poet survived and thrived amidst the political turbulence of sixth century Gaul - with a little help from his friends. Born in northern Italy, Venantius Fortunatus made his career writing for and about members of the Merovingian elite. Although he is no longer dismissed as an opportunistic poetaster who wrote undistinguished flattery for undeserving kings and aristocrats, his work remains unduly neglected. This book reframes Fortunatus as a writer uniquely suited to his times, a professional poet who addressed his contemporaries' needs and wishes for the prestige and sophistication of Classical culture. His poems and letters enabled his aristocratic patrons to situate themselves in networks, which they made and maintained in order to navigate a post-imperial but not post-Roman world. It makes an important contribution to our understanding of friendship in the Middle Ages and offers a fresh look at the Frankish kingdoms of Merovingian Gaul." -- Publisher, page four of cover CONTENTS 4 Acknowledgements 5 Introduction 7 Chapter 1. The Friendly Patron and His Client 31 Chapter 2. Episcopal and Lay Building Projects 73 Chapter 3. Friendships with Merovingian Women 111 Chapter 4. Writing for Royalty 159 Chapter 5. Literary Friendships and Elite Identity 209 Conclusion 239 Select Bibliography 247 Index of Poems Cited 253 General Index 255 Explores how one early medieval poet survived and thrived amidst the political turbulence of sixth-century Merovingian Gaul, and how the language of friendship shaped beliefs and behaviours, leading to social cohesion even within kingdoms repeatedly wracked by civil wars.