Abstract
Abstract In the spring of 566, the Frankish court at Metz saw the celebration of the wedding of King Sigibert to the Visigothic princess, Brunhild, daughter of King Athanagild. Sigibert, scorning the unworthy and confused liaisons of his brothers, had chosen instead to contract a prestigious dynastic alliance with the Spanish royal family. The princess was duly escorted to Metz in great splendour, and the wedding celebrated with a great banquet for all the leading men of Sigibert’s kingdom. The style and the aspirations of this event in themselves singled out Sigibert among his generation of the Merovingian royal family. The occasion was also notable, however, for the fact that the wedding celebrations included the declamation by an Italian poet of a resplendent Latin epithalamium. Clovis had received his consular purple; Sigibert was hymned as the emperor Honorius had been. The arrival in Gaul of the Italian poet, Venantius Fortunatus, could not have been timed to make a greater impact. With this epithalamium he was brought dramatically to the notice of all the Merovingian notables, Franks and Gallo-Romans, courtiers and ecclesiastics, with the cachet of royal approval. No better opportunity could have been provided to win Merovingian patronage.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
