This substantial volume adds to the growing literature on the heads of religious houses for women, in this case the abbey of Sainte-Croix in Poitiers, founded by the Frankish queen Radegund (d. 587). It is Edwards's argument that although Radegund never assumed the office of abbess—choosing to remain a nun—she nevertheless provided a model for creating and maintaining the authority of the heads of Sainte-Croix through her acquisition of estates and relics and her creation of networks of powerful supporters.

A striking aspect of Edwards's discussion is the way in which the community of Sainte-Croix used its cultural artifacts—the poetry about and vitae of Radegund, lavish manuscript productions, and visual imagery within the abbey church—to reinforce its status and its identity through the memory of its founder. Over the nine hundred years covered by this study (from the death of Radegund to the reform of 1520) there were many occasions on which the abbesses of Sainte-Croix needed to draw on their resources and Radegund's memory to ward off threats to their authority: including both challenges internally (from within their own community) and externally (from elite families of the region of Poitiers, kings, and bishops). A source of frequent friction sat almost on their doorstep: the chapter of canons also founded by Radegund over which the abbey enjoyed jurisdiction. It was in the canons’ church (which came to be dedicated to her) that Radegund was buried.

After an introduction that outlines the aims of the book and rehearses trends in the historiography of female religious communities, Edwards embarks on seven chapters which, with one exception, are arranged chronologically. Chapter 1 examines the foundation of the abbey and demonstrates how Radegund established the roots of its future authority by using her royal connections and her own reputation to secure gifts, support, and protection from the political and social elite. Chapter 2 begins with the significant acquisition, by Radegund, of a relic of the Holy Cross from the Byzantine court. This gained prestige for her abbey (which was renamed after the relic) as well as protectors but, significantly, brought Radegund into conflict with the bishop of Poitiers as the new relic was seen to rival the cult of St. Hilary of Poitiers. The saintly reputation enjoyed by Radegund by the time of her death was a mighty source of strength to her community, yet it was tested within a few years by rival factions within Sainte-Croix vying for the post of abbess (disputed elections are treated separately in chapter 7, the only thematic as opposed to chronological chapter). Edwards argues that it was the powerful support network created by Radegund that saw the house through its first and prolonged crisis. She states that evidence for the period between the late sixth century and the late eleventh is “fragmentary,” yet it is sufficient for her to assert that both Radegund's foundations “grew as royally supported, influential communities within Poitiers’ religious landscape, as well as in the broader Church” (87). Chapter 3 resumes in the late eleventh century when absence of support from secular authorities led the abbesses to turn to another source of protection (the pope), at the same time reminding the world of the importance of their founder by providing her relic with a new reliquary and creating a magnificent illuminated manuscript of her vitae. It is argued that these artifacts marked a response by the nuns to the growing power of the canons of Sainte-Radegonde, which resided in their control of the body of the saint; it was further enhanced when the church became a collegiate chapter, even though the canons still acknowledged the authority of Sainte-Croix. Both communities had much to gain by promoting their association with their royal and saintly founder. Chapters 4 and 5 move through the eleventh to the thirteenth centuries, illuminating first the support given to the women by the reforming papacy, and then the nuns’ cultivation of the king of France as the latter's power over the region of Poitiers grew. Visual culture in the form of church decoration was employed as both communities vied for the saint's cult. As part of a strategy to promote their connection with Radegund, the canons and nuns cooperated in a program of decoration in the canons’ church (the public face of the cult) through the media of stained-glass windows, frescoes, and statues. However, a period of weakness in the control of the abbesses over their community allowed the canons to present and promote their own version of Radegund. The canons also created a new manuscript of the vitae and the miracles centered on those performed at her tomb—that is, in their church. In so doing, they set their sights on the abbey's traditional supporters. Chapter 6 demonstrates how the women overcame these challenges to their authority. When the canons used anti-feminist rhetoric publicly to undermine the women—for instance on the occasion of public processions—the nuns turned to their archive and support network to stress their authority. It was, however, hard for the women to counter the canons’ ability to place obstacles to their access to the tomb of Radegund and those of the abbesses of Sainte-Croix. Thus, while relations between the community were not always contentious, the potential for power struggles was ever present. Nevertheless, the women were able to maintain their right to call the church of Sainte-Radegonde their dependency throughout this nine-hundred year period. In a brief conclusion, Edwards argues for the vitality of female abbatial authority at Sainte-Croix, remarking that: “Existing studies do not account for the consistent success of the abbesses of Sainte-Croix in exercising authority” (268). This detailed study certainly rectifies that.