Epistulae Austrasicae (Merovingian Court Letters)

To the most august and ever-victorious Emperor Justinian, greetings in Christ from Theudebert, king of the Franks,

To the most pious and victorious Emperor Justinian, king Theudebert sends greetings,

I write to inform you of operations undertaken by Frankish forces in the Italian theater, and to forestall any...

Justinian, the pious, the fortunate, the famous, the triumphant, the ever-augustus, to our beloved son Theudebert,...

The negotiations our ambassadors have conducted have been valuable but have not yet produced the resolution that...

I write to you with the frankness that the gravity of the matter demands, and I ask you to receive it as the counsel...

I address you collectively because the matter I raise concerns the court as a whole and because the support of the...

The church of Arles has long held a position of particular importance in the Latin West — the apostolic see of...

The matter of the church properties in the disputed region requires a decision, and we are writing to ask for your...

To our trusted friend and representative,

The common threat posed by the Lombards [who had invaded Italy from the north in 568, occupying large parts of the...

Maurice, the pious, the fortunate, the famous, to our beloved son Childebert, king of the Franks, greetings.

The campaign season is approaching and my forces are being assembled.

Maurice, to our beloved son King Childebert, greetings.

I address you in my own name, as the mother of King Childebert and as the guardian of his kingdom during the years...

Maurice, to our most noble and beloved daughter Queen Brunhild, greetings.

From Queen Brunhild to our faithful servants and administrators,

Childebert, king of the Franks, to our beloved bishops, abbots, counts, and all faithful subjects, greetings.

From the court of the Frankish king to our honored friend,

To our loyal servant and administrator,

To our trusted servant in the king's service,

To our honored friend and correspondent in the service of the Roman Emperor,

To the count of the eastern march,

To the abbot of the monastery of Saint Martin and the abbot of the monastery of the Holy Cross,

To our friends at the court of [the neighboring king],

To our beloved bishops assembled in council,

To the administrator of the royal estates in the Moselle valley,

To our honored friends at the court of the Lombard king,

To our beloved bishop and faithful servant of God,

To the imperial representative and ambassador of the most pious Emperor,

To our faithful count serving the king's justice in the eastern territories,

To the bishop in whose diocese the newly founded monastery of the Holy Mother of God is situated,

To our friend and neighbor,

To our beloved bishops and abbots throughout the kingdom of Austrasia,

To our faithful magnates and counts in the service of the Austrasian king,

The troubles within the Frankish kingdoms that have brought grief to all Christians are a matter on which we seek...

To the representatives of the most pious Emperor,

To our newly appointed administrator of the eastern territories,

To our beloved bishops and clergy,

To the most honored representative of the Empire,

To our faithful judge and administrator,

To the imperial ambassador and our honored friend,

To our trusted counselor and administrator,

To the imperial representative,

To our faithful bishops assembled in the Frankish church,

To our honored friend and representative of [the neighboring king],

To our beloved bishops and especially to those in correspondence with the see of Rome,

To all those who serve the Frankish kingdom and its king,