"In this study, I seek to redress at least a small portion of this discrepancy. At heart, this study is one of relationships - the spousal one of husband and wife that could become a national relationship for an entire kingdom. It is a study of how a microcosm could become a macrocosm with epic results still visible today. The queens featured here play diverse roles in moving their people to conversion, much more than merely providing wombs for the production of future royalty."
"Some would do so straightforwardly, such as Clotilde with Clovis and the Franks; others would have their original successes wiped away by a pagan reaction, only to have their efforts prevail in time, such as Bertha in England and even Morta in Lithuania. Other queens, such as Theodelinda in Lombardy and Ingundis in Visigothic Spain, would act as essential catalysts for successful conversions after their careers were over."
Eight medieval queens married pagan rulers and played decisive roles in introducing Christianity across Europe. Their actions ranged from direct conversion of husbands and courts to longer-term catalytic influences that yielded conversions after their lifetimes. Some queens achieved immediate success, as with Clotilde and Clovis, while others saw initial advances reversed by pagan reactions before conversion ultimately prevailed, as with Bertha and Morta. Several queens functioned as essential catalysts whose influence continued to shape religious outcomes after their deaths, breaking down barriers between pagan or heretical communities and Christendom through spousal and dynastic networks.
Read at Medievalists.net
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