Letter 3: I write to inform you of operations undertaken by Frankish forces in the Italian theater, and to forestall any...

To the ever-victorious Emperor Justinian, from Theudebert, by God's grace king of the Franks, I write to inform you of operations undertaken by Frankish forces in the Italian theater, and to forestall any misrepresentation of our actions by those who have reason to put the worst construction on them. The situation in northern Italy invited intervention. The Gothic forces in that region were creating chaos that was damaging to the population and to the long-term prospects of stable Roman governance. My forces entered with the purpose of establishing order in areas where neither the Gothic nor the Roman forces had been able to do so, and we have been largely successful in this aim. I am aware that our operations were not coordinated with your generals in the way that might have been ideal. For this I offer an explanation rather than an apology: the situation moved faster than communication allowed. By the time word could have traveled and a response returned, the moment for action would have passed. The territories we now hold in northern Italy are held in the interest of peace and stability. I am open to discussion of the final settlement of these territories as part of a broader agreement. I do not seek to hold what is not legitimately mine; I seek recognition of what my forces have actually accomplished and a settlement that is fair to all parties. I send ambassadors who can discuss the specifics. Theudebert, servant of God and king