Poetry in the Service of Politics: The Casus with the Relic of the True Cross in the Context of Franco-Byzantine Relations during the 560s

Abstract

This article describes the events of the 560s, when the queen-nun Radegund acquired the relic of the True Cross for her convent in Poitiers. Her request for the major Christian shrine to the Byzantine Emperor Justin II and his wife Sophia was untimely: the foreign policy situation at that moment was very difficult – the Kingdom of the Franks was divided among the sons of King Chlothar I. Sigebert, the ruler of Austrasia, sought to strengthen his power and influence among the Franks and in the international scene. The conquests of the Lombards forced the Byzantines and the Franks to seek peace with each other. The obtained results show that both states took advantage of the situation with the relic to conclude a peace treaty without openly declaring their intentions. The roles of each participant in the organization of the embassy to the court of Justin II in 568 are considered. The ulterior motives of the poetic messages sent by Radegund to her relatives in Constantinople are analyzed. These events are a good example of how Sigebert, one of the Frankish kings, solved the foreign and domestic political tasks of that time. The casus with the relic of the True Cross reveals the “inside” of the political and diplomatic mechanics in Byzantium and the Frankish kingdoms.