Barbarian Queens and the Conversion of Europe

Burnam W. Reynolds is professor emeritus of history at Asbury University.

• Part I: The Legacy and the PatternChapter OneThe Falling and the RisingChapter TwoThe Conversation of the WivesChapter ThreeConversion and the SourcesPart II: Preconditions and ImpedimentsChapter FourWhat is Conversion?Chapter FiveWhat is a “Barbarian”?Chapter SixNo Queen Without a KingdomChapter SevenThe Complications of ViolencePart III: CasesCase OneThe Eldest DaughterCase Two‘The Most Glorious Queen’: From Ingund to BaddoCase ThreeA Man from KentCase FourThe Widow’s ChoiceCase Five“Tata Goes North”Case SixDueling EastersCase Seven“Queens in the Mist”Case Eight“Morta and Mindaugas”Coda: Concluding Thoughts

Barbarian Queens and the Conversion of Europe engages with an enduring question – what made medieval queens such staples of conversion stories? Burnam Reynolds expertly unpacks the complex web of ties that placed ruling women of the post-Roman world in a position to influence the religious, political and cultural trajectories of whole nations. Beginning with an overarching discussion of the sources and the challenging phenomenon of religious conversion, the book deftly alternates between theory and practice, discussing case by case both famous and obscure queens and their impact on their respective societies. With lucid prose, the book pans from the westernmost kingdoms of early medieval Britain to the continental Franks, Visigoths and Lombards, on to Bohemia, concluding with the latest European conversion of the Lithuanians. It is an enjoyable and illuminating read for anyone interested in the Christian conversion of Europe and the role of queens therein.