Letter 46

From: The Austrasian Court To: [Diplomatic correspondent] Date: ~589 AD Context: Austrasian letter 46; diplomatic communication in the period following the resolution of Frankish dynastic disputes and the consolidation of Childebert II's authority. To our honored friend and representative of [the neighboring king], The resolution of the difficulties within the Frankish kingdoms that have occupied the past several years has allowed us to return our full attention to the management of our external relationships, and among these none is more important to us than the one with your master. We write to propose a renewal of the treaties that governed our trade and border arrangements before the period of disturbance. Those arrangements served both our peoples well, and we see no reason why they should not be restored in their full form. We also want to raise, in a spirit of openness, the question of the border settlements in two areas where the boundaries were unclear before the troubles and where the period of instability has allowed some further confusion to develop. We propose joint commissions to re-establish the agreed lines, and we commit in advance to accepting their determinations. We believe good relations between our kingdoms benefit both peoples, and we approach this conversation with that conviction. From the court of Austrasia, in a spirit of friendship