Between Ireland and Francia

The second chapter widens the perspective of the study and asks what the foundations and the extent of Willibrord’s network were. Were the Pippinids the only connecting factor between Willibrord’s Insular background and his arrival in Francia, or did other intersections exist between Northumbria, southern Ireland and his field of activity in Austrasia? It focuses on the third major source for Willibrord’s life: his so-called Calendar . The Calendar , compiled between c. 703 and 728 at Echternach, contains martyrological entries added to the pages of the manuscript. Although the Calendar has been the subject of many palaeographical, liturgical and computistical discussions, few studies have so far systematically combined the information provided by the martyrological entries with the other sources available for Willibrord’s network. The second part of the chapter gathers additional evidence for the development of Willibrord’s network in Francia after 690. Amongst other findings, the monastery of Rath Melsigi in Ireland appears as an important intersection of ecclesiastical and political networks between Iona and Northumbria. Additionally Willibrord’s interaction with the Christian Thuringian aristocracy before Boniface’s arrival support the assumption that his position in the Merovingian world was more independent of the Pippinids than previously assumed.