137-702: Alboin (530s – 28 June 572) was king of the Lombards from about 560 until 572. During his reign the Lombards ended their migrations by settling in Italy, the northern part of which Alboin conquered between 569 and 572. He had a lasting effect on Italy and the Pannonian Basin ; in the former, his invasion marked the beginning of centuries of Lombard rule, and in the latter, his defeat of the Gepids and his departure from Pannonia ended
274-643: A Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the History of the Lombards (written between 787 and 796) that the Lombards descended from a small tribe called the Winnili, who dwelt in northern Germany before migrating to seek new lands. Earlier Roman-era historians wrote of the Lombards in the first century AD as being one of
411-608: A Lombard Kingdom in north and central Italy, which reached its zenith under the eighth-century ruler Liutprand . In 774, the kingdom was conquered by the Frankish king Charlemagne and integrated into the Frankish Empire . However, Lombard nobles continued to rule southern parts of the Italian peninsula well into the eleventh century, when they were conquered by the Normans and added to
548-555: A Byzantine army against Alboin in support of Cunimund, ending in the Lombards' complete defeat. Faced with the possibility of annihilation, Alboin made an alliance in 566 with the Avars under Bayan I , at the expense of some tough conditions: the Avars demanded a tenth of the Lombards' cattle, half of the war booty, and on the war's conclusion all of the lands held by the Gepids. The Lombards played on
685-526: A betrayal, Thurisind made an alliance with the Kutrigurs who devastated Moesia before end of the armistice. The Langobard and Roman army joined together and defeated the Gepids in 551. In the battle, Audoin 's son, Alboin killed Thurisind 's son, Turismod . In 552, the Byzantines, aided by a large contingent of Foederati , notably Lombards, Heruls and Bulgars, defeated the last Ostrogoths led by Teia in
822-538: A bond with the remaining Gepids. The war also marked a watershed in the geo-political history of the region, as together with the Lombard migration the following year, it signalled the end of six centuries of Germanic dominance in the Pannonian Basin. Despite his success against the Gepids, Alboin had failed to greatly increase his power, and was now faced with a much stronger threat from the Avars. Historians consider this
959-499: A champion of freedom. In 47, a struggle ensued amongst the Cherusci and they expelled their new leader, the nephew of Arminius, from their country. The Lombards appeared on the scene with sufficient power to control the destiny of the tribe that had been the leader in the struggle for independence thirty-eight years earlier, for they restored the deposed leader to sovereignty. To the south, in 166 Cassius Dio reported that just before
1096-634: A cult of Odin, thus creating a conscious tribal tradition. Fröhlich inverts the order of events in Priester and states that with the Odin cult, the Lombards grew their beards in resemblance of the Odin of tradition and their new name reflected this. Bruckner remarks that the name of the Lombards stands in close relation to the worship of Odin, whose many names include "the Long-bearded" or "the Grey-bearded", and that
1233-554: A duchy and designate a duke were both important innovations; until then, the Lombards had never had dukes or duchies based on a walled town. The innovation adopted was part of Alboin's borrowing of Roman and Ostrogothic administrative models, as in Late Antiquity the comes civitatis (city count) was the main local authority, with full administrative powers in his region. But the shift from count ( comes ) to duke ( dux ) and from county ( comitatus ) to duchy ( ducatus ) also signalled
1370-440: A great feast, Alboin gets drunk and orders his wife Rosamund to drink from his cup, made from the skull of his father-in-law Cunimund after he had slain him in 567 and married Rosamund. Alboin "invited her to drink merrily with her father". This reignited the queen's determination to avenge her father. The tale has been often dismissed as a fable and Paul was conscious of the risk of disbelief. For this reason, he insists that he saw
1507-573: A horde which included not only Lombards but many other peoples of the region, including Heruli , Suebi , Gepids , Thuringii , Bulgars , Sarmatians , the remaining Romans and a few Ostrogoths. But the most important group, other than the Lombards, were the Saxons , of whom 20,000 male warriors with their families participated in the trek. These Saxons were tributaries to the Frankish King Sigebert , and their participation indicates that Alboin had
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#17330861052621644-575: A king in or shortly before 561, the year of Chlothar's death. Alboin first distinguished himself on the battlefield in a clash with the Gepids. At the Battle of Asfeld (552), he killed Turismod , son of the Gepid king Thurisind , in a victory that resulted in Emperor Justinian's intervention to maintain equilibrium between the rival regional powers. After the battle, according to a tradition reported by Paul
1781-407: A libation. In the latter interpretation, the queen's answer reveals her determination not to let the wound opened by the killing of her father be healed through a ritual act, thus openly displaying her thirst for revenge. The episode is read in a radically different way by Walter Goffart. According to him, the whole story assumes an allegorical meaning, with Paul intent on telling an edifying story of
1918-538: A policy of internal reconciliation and tried to reorganize royal administration. The dukes yielded half their estates for the maintenance of the king and his court in Pavia. On the foreign affairs side, Authari managed to thwart the dangerous alliance between the Byzantines and the Franks. Authari died in 591 and was succeeded by Agilulf , the duke of Turin , who also married Theodelinda in the same year. Agilulf successfully fought
2055-631: A port in the northern languages ; consequently, Skiæren-Heal is the port of the Skiæren, a name well adapted to the port of Stockholm , in the Upplandske Skiæren, and the country may be justly called Scorung or Skiærunga. The legendary king Sceafa of Scandza was an ancient Lombardic king in Anglo-Saxon legend . The Old English poem Widsith , in a listing of famous kings and their countries, has Sceafa [weold] Longbeardum, so naming Sceafa as ruler of
2192-496: A result the Byzantines kept themselves neutral if not outright supportive of the Avars. In 567 the allies made their final move against Cunimund, with Alboin invading the Gepids' lands from the northwest while Bayan attacked from the northeast. Cunimund attempted to prevent the two armies from joining up by moving against the Lombards and clashing with Alboin somewhere between the Tibiscus and Danube rivers. The Gepids were defeated in
2329-484: A safety zone between the Lombards and the Avars. The road followed by Alboin to reach Italy has been the subject of controversy, as is the length of the trek. According to Neil Christie, the Lombards divided themselves into migrational groups, with a vanguard scouting the road, probably following the Poetovio – Celeia – Emona – Forum Iulii route, while the wagons and most of the people proceeded slowly behind because of
2466-401: A typical topos of an epic poem . Alboin came to the throne after the death of his father, sometime between 560 and 565. As was customary among the Lombards, Alboin took the crown after an election by the tribe's freemen, who traditionally selected the king from the dead sovereign's clan. Shortly, in 565, a new war erupted with the Gepids, now led by Cunimund , Thurisind's son. The cause of
2603-514: Is better to maintain liberty by arms than to stain it by the payment of tribute." The Vandals prepared for war and consulted Godan (the god Odin ), who answered that he would give victory to those whom he would see first at sunrise. The Winnili were fewer in number and Gambara sought help from Frea (the goddess Frigg ), who advised that all Winnili women should tie their hair in front of their faces like beards and march in line with their husbands. At sunrise, Frea turned her husband's bed so that he
2740-444: Is mentioned in the 10th century Old English poem called Widsith (lines 70–75) : Swylce ic wæs on Eatule mid Ælfwine, se hæfde moncynnes, mine gefræge, leohteste hond lofes to wyrcenne, heortan unhneaweste hringa gedales, beorhtra beaga, bearn Eadwines. I
2877-726: Is the seventh-century Origo Gentis Langobardorum ( Origin of the Lombard People ). The Origo Gentis Langobardorum tells the story of a small tribe called the Winnili dwelling in Northern Germany/Denmark zone (the Historia Langobardorum codicis Gothani writes that the Winnili first dwelt near a river called Vindilicus on the extreme boundary of Gaul ). The Winnili were split into three groups and one part left their native land to seek foreign fields. The reason for
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#17330861052623014-402: Is the story told by Marius of Aventicum in his Chronica , written about a decade after Alboin's murder. According to his version, the king was killed in a conspiracy by a man close to him, called Hilmegis (Paul's Helmechis), with the connivance of the queen. Helmichis then married the widow, but the two were forced to escape to Byzantine Ravenna, taking with them the royal treasure and part of
3151-667: Is thought to reflect Audoin's decision to distance himself from the Byzantines, traditional allies of the Lombards, who had been lukewarm when it came to supporting Audoin against the Gepids. The new Frankish alliance was important because of the Franks' known hostility to the Byzantine empire, providing the Lombards with more than one option. However, the Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire interprets events and sources differently, believing that Alboin married Chlothsind when already
3288-434: Is told how Alboin married the daughter of a man he had slain, and how she waited for a suitable occasion for revenge, eventually poisoning him. She had previously fallen in love with one of her husband's servants, and after the assassination tried to escape with him, but they were captured and killed. However, historians including Walter Goffart place little trust in this narrative. Goffart notes other similar doubtful stories in
3425-612: Is treated with scepticism by Walter Goffart, who observes that it conflicts with the Origo Gentis Langobardorum , where she was captured only after the death of her father. The Gepids obtained the support of the Emperor in exchange for a promise to cede him the region of Sirmium , the seat of the Gepid kings. Thus in 565 or 566 Justinian's successor Justin II sent his son-in-law Baduarius as magister militum (field commander) to lead
3562-520: The Avars and then to the Franks. Grimoald managed to regain control over the duchies and deflected the late attempt of the Byzantine emperor Constans II to conquer southern Italy. He also defeated the Franks. At Grimoald's death in 671 Perctarit returned and promoted tolerance between Arians and Catholics, but he could not defeat the Arian party, led by Arachi, duke of Trento , who submitted only to his son,
3699-468: The Battle of Taginae . In approximately 560, Audoin was succeeded by his son Alboin , a young and energetic leader who defeated the neighboring Gepidae and made them his subjects; in 566, he married Rosamund , daughter of the Gepid king Cunimund . In the same year, he made a pact with Khagan Bayan . Next year the Lombards and the Avars destroyed the Gepid kingdom in the Lombard–Gepid War ,
3836-517: The County of Sicily . In this period, the southern part of Italy still under Lombard domination was known to the Norse as Langbarðaland ('land of the Lombards'), as inscribed in the Norse runestones . Their legacy is also apparent in the name of the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. According to their traditions, the Lombards initially called themselves the Winnili . After a reported major victory against
3973-514: The Early Christian Church . Gradually, they adopted Roman or Romanized titles, names, and traditions, and partially converted to orthodoxy (in the seventh century), though not without a long series of religious and ethnic conflicts. By the time Paul the Deacon was writing, the Lombard language, dress and even hairstyles had nearly all disappeared in toto . The whole Lombard territory was divided into 36 duchies, whose leaders settled in
4110-846: The Elbe shortly after the beginning of the Christian era, next to the Chauci . Strabo states that the Lombards dwelt on both sides of the Elbe. He treats them as a branch of the Suebi , and states that: Now as for the tribe of the Suebi, it is the largest, for it extends from the Rhenus to the Albis; and a part of them even dwells on the far side of the Albis, as, for instance, the Hermondori and
4247-605: The Historia and calls its account of Alboin's demise "a suitably ironic tale of the doings of depraved humanity". Elements present in Marius' account are echoed in Paul's Historia Langobardorum , which also contains distinctive features. One of the best-known aspects unavailable in any other source is that of the skull cup . In Paul, the events that led to Alboin's downfall unfold in Verona. During
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4384-463: The Historia between 787 and 796 he was a Catholic monk and devoted Christian . He thought the pagan stories of his people "silly" and "laughable". Paul explained that the name "Langobard" came from the length of their beards. A modern theory suggests that the name "Langobard" comes from Langbarðr , a name of Odin . Priester states that when the Winnili changed their name to "Lombards", they also changed their old agricultural fertility cult to
4521-501: The Latin word perditus , meaning "lost", a representation of those Lombards who entered into the service of the Empire. Alboin's death had a lasting impact, as it deprived the Lombards of the only leader they had that could have kept together the newborn Germanic entity. His end also represents the death of the last of the line of hero-kings that had led the Lombards through their migrations from
4658-621: The Lower Elbe as Langobardic . The burial sites are crematorial and are usually dated from the sixth century BC through the third century AD, so a settlement breakoff seems unlikely. The lands of the lower Elbe fall into the zone of the Jastorf Culture and became Elbe-Germanic , differing from the lands between Rhine , Weser , and the North Sea . Archaeological finds show that the Lombards were an agricultural people. Tacitus also counted
4795-560: The Marcomannic Wars , 6,000 Lombards and Obii (sometimes thought to be Ubii ) crossed the Danube and invaded Pannonia . The two tribes were defeated, whereupon they ceased their invasion and sent Ballomar, King of the Marcomanni, as ambassador to Aelius Bassus , who was then administering Pannonia. Peace was made and the two tribes returned to their homes, which in the case of the Lombards
4932-548: The Ravenna Cosmography , Mauringa was the land east of the Elbe. The crossing into Mauringa was very difficult. The Assipitti (possibly the Usipetes ) denied them passage through their lands and a fight was arranged for the strongest man of each tribe. The Lombard was victorious, passage was granted, and the Lombards reached Mauringa. The Lombards departed from Mauringa and reached Golanda. Scholar Ludwig Schmidt thinks this
5069-565: The Suebian peoples, also from what is now northern Germany, near the Elbe river. They migrated south, and by the end of the fifth century, the Lombards had moved into the area roughly coinciding with modern Austria and Slovakia north of the Danube . Here they subdued the Heruls and later fought frequent wars with the Gepids . The Lombard king Audoin defeated the Gepid leader Thurisind in 551 or 552, and Audoin's successor Alboin eventually destroyed
5206-587: The Vandals in the first century, they changed their name to Lombards . The name Winnili is generally translated as 'the wolves', related to the Proto-Germanic root *wulfaz 'wolf'. The name Lombard was reportedly derived from the distinctively long beards of the Lombards. It is probably a compound of the Proto-Germanic elements * langaz (long) and * bardaz (beard). According to their own legends,
5343-751: The Avars subsequently occupied. The increasing power of his new neighbours caused Alboin some unease however, and he therefore decided to leave Pannonia for Italy, hoping to take advantage of the Byzantine Empire 's vulnerability in defending its territory in the wake of the Gothic War . After gathering a large coalition of peoples, Alboin crossed the Julian Alps in 568, entering an almost undefended Italy. He rapidly took control of most of Venetia and Liguria . In 569, unopposed, he took northern Italy's main city, Milan . Pavia offered stiff resistance, however, and
5480-519: The Byzantines to bring forces to Italy by land. The agreement proved immensely successful, and relations with the Avars were almost uninterruptedly friendly during the lifetime of the Lombard Kingdom. A further cause of the Lombard migration into Italy may have been an invitation from Narses. According to a controversial tradition reported by several medieval sources, Narses, out of spite for having been removed by Justinian's successor Justin II, called
5617-672: The Deacon , they had one child, Albsuinda . This marriage is also recorded in Gregory of Tours and the Origo gentis Langobardorum . Bishop Nicetius of Trier addressed a letter to Chothsind. It was dispatched with returning Lombard ambassadors, but its date is unclear. It is usually dated to before 568, probably between 561 and 567. Nicetius expressed hope that she could induce her husband to convert to Catholicism rather than Arianism , just as her grandmother Chlothild helped convert Clovis I , Chlothar's father. Chlothsind died not long after
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5754-434: The Deacon , to be granted the right to sit at his father's table, Alboin had to ask for the hospitality of a foreign king and have him donate his weapons, as was customary. For this initiation, he went to the court of Thurisind, where the Gepid king gave him Turismod's arms. Walter Goffart believes it is probable that in this narrative Paul was making use of an oral tradition, and is sceptical that it can be dismissed as merely
5891-526: The Dukes ") during which the dukes did not elect any king, a period regarded as a time of violence and disorder. In 586, threatened by a Frankish invasion, the dukes elected Cleph's son, Authari , as king. In 589, he married Theodelinda , daughter of Garibald I of Bavaria , the Duke of Bavaria . The Catholic Theodelinda was a friend of Pope Gregory I and pushed for Christianization. In the meantime, Authari embarked on
6028-407: The Elbe to Italy. His fame survived him for many centuries in epic poetry, with Saxons and Bavarians celebrating his prowess in battle, his heroism, and the magical properties of his weapons. To complete the coup d'état and legitimize his claim to the throne, Helmichis married the queen, whose high standing arose not only from being the king's widow but also from being the most prominent member of
6165-541: The Gepids in 567. The Lombards also settled in Pannonia (modern-day Hungary). Near Szólád , archaeologists have unearthed burial sites of Lombard men and women buried together as families, unusual among Germanic peoples at the time. Contemporary traces have also been discovered of Mediterranean Greeks and a possible migrant from France. Following Alboin's victory over the Gepids, he led his people into northeastern Italy , which had become severely depopulated and devastated after
6302-575: The Gothic heritage, and in this way obtained the support of the Ostrogoths serving in the Byzantine army as foederati . It has been speculated that Alboin's migration could have been partly the result of a call from surviving Ostrogoths in Italy. The season chosen for leaving Pannonia was unusually early; the Germanic peoples generally waited until autumn before beginning the migration, giving themselves time to do
6439-518: The Goths. In particular the so-called Plague of Justinian had ravaged the region and conflict remained endemic, with the Three-Chapter Controversy sparking religious opposition and administration at a standstill after the able governor of the peninsula, Narses , was recalled. Nevertheless, the Lombards viewed Italy as a rich land which promised great booty, assets Alboin used to gather together
6576-494: The Langobardi; and at the present time these latter, at least, have, to the last man, been driven in flight out of their country into the land on the far side of the river. Consistent with this, Suetonius wrote that Roman general Nero Claudius Drusus defeated a large force of Germans and drove some "to the farther side of the Albis (Elbe)" river. The German archaeologist Willi Wegewitz defined several Iron Age burial sites at
6713-823: The Lombard given name Ansegranus ("he with the beard of the gods") shows that the Lombards had this idea of their chief deity. The same Old Norse root Barth or Barði, meaning "beard", is shared with the Heaðobards mentioned in both Beowulf and in Widsith , where they conflict with the Danes . They were possibly a branch of the Langobards . Alternatively, some etymological sources suggest an Old High German root, barta, meaning "axe" (and related to English halberd), while Edward Gibbon puts forth an alternative suggestion which argues that: ...Börde (or Börd) still signifies "a fertile plain by
6850-449: The Lombard invasion reflects the desire of Justinian's successors to reorient the core of the Empire's policies eastward. The impact of the Lombard migration on the Late Roman aristocracy was disruptive, especially in combination with the Gothic War; the latter conflict had finished in the north only in 562, when the last Gothic stronghold, Verona, was taken. Many men of means (Paul's possessores ) either lost their lives or their goods, but
6987-444: The Lombard kingdom while the remaining imperial territories were reorganized under the control of an exarch in Ravenna with the capacity to defend the country without the Emperor's assistance. The consolidation of Byzantine and Lombard dominions had long-lasting consequences for Italy, as the region was from that moment on fragmented among multiple rulers until Italian unification in 1871. Alboin, together with other tribal leaders
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#17330861052627124-563: The Lombard tide by bringing a pro-Byzantine regime into power in Verona, and possibly, in the long run, break the unity of the Lombards' kingdom, winning over the dukes with honours and emoluments. The coup ultimately failed, as it met with the resistance of most of the warriors, who were opposed to the king's assassination. As a result, the Lombard garrison in Ticinum proclaimed Duke Cleph the new king, and Helmichis, rather than going to war against overwhelming odds, escaped to Ravenna with Longinus' assistance, taking with him his wife, his troops,
7261-436: The Lombards as a remote and aggressive Suebian tribe, listing them between the Semnones on the Elbe, and the Nerthus -worshipping tribes whose land of rivers and forest stretched to the sea. Writing in the late first century AD, he described the Langobardi in his Germania saying that "their scanty numbers are a distinction" because "surrounded by a host of most powerful tribes, they are safe, not by submitting, but by daring
7398-481: The Lombards in either May or June 572. Alboin had in the meantime chosen Verona as his seat, establishing himself and his treasure in a royal palace built there by Theodoric. This choice may have been another attempt to link himself with the Gothic king. It was in this palace that Alboin was killed on 28 June 572. In the account given by Paul the Deacon, the most detailed narrative on Alboin's death, history and saga intermingle almost inextricably. Much earlier and shorter
7535-399: The Lombards occurred between AD 9 and 16, by the Roman court historian Velleius Paterculus , who accompanied a Roman expedition as prefect of the cavalry. Paterculus says that under Tiberius the "power of the Langobardi was broken, a race surpassing even the Germans in savagery". From the combined testimony of Strabo (AD 20) and Tacitus (AD 117), the Lombards dwelt near the mouth of
7672-468: The Lombards or Winnili lived originally in the Vinuiloth (Vinovilith) mentioned by Jordanes , in his masterpiece Getica , to the north of Uppsala , Sweden. Scoringa was near the province of Uppland , so just north of Östergötland . The footnote then explains the etymology of the name Scoringa: The shores of Uppland and Östergötland are covered with small rocks and rocky islands , which are called in German Schæren and in Swedish Skiaeren. Heal signifies
7809-443: The Lombards originated in Northern Germany/Denmark zone including modern-day Denmark. The Germanic origins of the Lombards is supported by genetic, anthropological, archaeological and earlier literary evidence. A legendary account of Lombard origins, history, and practices is the Historia Langobardorum ( History of the Lombards ) of Paul the Deacon , written in the eighth century. Paul's chief source for Lombard origins, however,
7946-487: The Lombards to Italy. Often dismissed as an unreliable tradition, it has been studied with attention by modern scholars, in particular Neil Christie, who see in it a possible record of a formal invitation by the Byzantine state to settle in northern Italy as foederati , to help protect the region against the Franks, an arrangement that may have been disowned by Justin II after Narses' removal. The Lombard migration started on Easter Monday, 2 April 568. The decision to combine
8083-503: The Lombards, a coalition agreed to by Guntram in about 571. Alboin is generally thought not to have been behind this invasion, but an alternative interpretation of the transalpine raids presented by Gian Piero Bognetti is that Alboin may actually have been involved in the offensive on Guntram as part of an alliance with the Frankish king of Austrasia , Sigebert I . This view is met with scepticism by scholars such as Chris Wickham . The weakening of royal authority may also have resulted in
8220-443: The Lombards, who could retain their own laws. Rothari's son Rodoald succeeded him in 652, still very young, and was killed by his opponents. At the death of King Aripert I in 661, the kingdom was split between his children Perctarit , who set his capital in Milan, and Godepert , who reigned from Pavia ( Ticinum ). Perctarit was overthrown by Grimoald , son of Gisulf, duke of Friuli and Benevento since 647. Perctarit fled to
8357-399: The Lombards. From the second century onwards, many of the Germanic tribes recorded as active during the Principate started to unite into bigger tribal unions, such as the Franks , Alamanni , Bavarii , and Saxons . The Lombards are not mentioned at first, perhaps because they were not initially on the border of Rome, or perhaps because they were subjected to a larger tribal union, like
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#17330861052628494-445: The Lombards. Similarities between Langobardic and Gothic migration traditions have been noted among scholars. These early migration legends suggest that a major shifting of tribes occurred sometime between the first and second century BC, which would coincide with the time that the Teutoni and Cimbri left their homelands in Northern Germany and migrated through central Germany, eventually invading Roman Italy. The first mention of
8631-427: The Lombards. An important success for the Byzantines was that no king was proclaimed to succeed Cleph, opening a decade of interregnum , thus making them more vulnerable to attacks from the Franks and Byzantines. It was only when faced with the danger of annihilation by the Franks in 584 that the dukes elected a new king in the person of Authari , son of Cleph, who began the definitive consolidation and centralization of
8768-449: The Pope, who was supporting the dukes of Spoleto and Benevento against him, and entered Rome in 772, the first Lombard king to do so. But when Pope Hadrian I called for help from the powerful Frankish king Charlemagne , Desiderius was defeated at Susa and besieged in Pavia , while his son Adelchis was forced to open the gates of Verona to Frankish troops. Desiderius surrendered in 774, and Charlemagne, in an utterly novel decision, took
8905-463: The Saxons. It is, however, highly probable that, when the bulk of the Lombards migrated, a considerable part remained behind and afterwards became absorbed by the Saxon tribes in the Elbe region, while the emigrants alone retained the name of Lombards. However, the Historia Langobardorum codicis Gothani states that the Lombards were subjected by the Saxons around 300 but rose up against them under their first king, Agelmund, who ruled for 30 years. In
9042-416: The above-mentioned Suebic territories, east of the Angrivarii on the Weser , and south of the Chauci on the coast, probably indicating a Lombard expansion from the Elbe to the Rhine. This double mention has been interpreted as an editorial error by Gudmund Schütte, in his analysis of Ptolemy. However, the Historia Langobardorum codicis Gothani also mentions Patespruna ( Paderborn ) in connection with
9179-565: The allies halved the prize of war and the nomads settled in Transylvania . In the spring of 568, Alboin, now fearing the aggressive Avars, led the Lombard migration into Italy , which he planned for years. According to the History of the Lombards, "Then the Langobards, having left Pannonia , hastened to take possession of Italy with their wives and children and all their goods." The Avars have agreed to shelter them if they wish to come back. Various other peoples who either voluntarily joined or were subjects of King Alboin were also part of
9316-404: The army, which hints at the cooperation of Byzantium. Roger Collins describes Marius as an especially reliable source because of his early date and his having lived close to Lombard Italy. Also contemporary is Gregory of Tours ' account presented in the Historia Francorum , and echoed by the later Fredegar . Gregory's account diverges in several respects from most other sources. In his tale it
9453-454: The coastal areas of Liguria and Venetia and a few isolated inland centres such as Augusta Praetoria (Aosta), Segusio (Susa), and the island of Amacina in the Larius Lucus (Lake Como). During Alboin's kingship the Lombards crossed the Apennines and plundered Tuscia , but historians are not in full agreement as to whether this took place under his guidance and if this constituted anything more than raiding. According to Herwig Wolfram , it
9590-476: The conditions accepted in the treaty, the Avars were to take possession of Pannonia and the Lombards were promised military support in Italy should the need arise; also, for a period of 200 years, the Lombards were to maintain the right to reclaim their former territories if the plan to conquer Italy failed, thus leaving Alboin with an alternative open. The accord also had the advantage of protecting Alboin's rear, as an Avar-occupied Pannonia would make it difficult for
9727-508: The conflict is uncertain, as the sources are divided; the Lombard Paul the Deacon accuses the Gepids, while the Byzantine historian Menander Protector places the blame on Alboin, an interpretation favoured by historian Walter Pohl . An account of the war by the Byzantine Theophylact Simocatta sentimentalises the reasons behind the conflict, claiming it originated with Alboin's vain courting and subsequent kidnapping of Cunimund's daughter Rosamund , that Alboin proceeded then to marry. The tale
9864-465: The conquest of most of Venetia had already been completed in 568. According to Carlo Guido Mor, a major difficulty remains in explaining how Alboin could have reached Milan on 3 September assuming he had passed the border only in the May of the same year. The Lombards penetrated into Italy without meeting any resistance from the border troops ( milities limitanei ). The Byzantine military resources available on
10001-499: The conquest of much of southern Italy by the Lombards, in which modern scholars believe Alboin played no role at all, probably taking place in 570 or 571 under the auspices of individual warlords. However it is far from certain that the Lombard takeover occurred during those years, as very little is known of Faroald and Zotto 's respective rises to power in Spoletium ( Spoleto ) and Beneventum ( Benevento ). Ticinum eventually fell to
10138-487: The decisive factor in convincing Alboin to undertake a migration, even though there are indications that before the war with the Gepids a decision was maturing to leave for Italy, a country thousands of Lombards had seen in the 550s when hired by the Byzantines to fight in the Gothic War. Additionally, the Lombards would have known of the weakness of Byzantine Italy, which had endured a number of problems after being retaken from
10275-494: The departure with a Christian celebration can be understood in the context of Alboin's recent conversion to Arian Christianity , as attested by the presence of Arian Gothic missionaries at his court. The conversion is likely to have been motivated mostly by political considerations, and intended to consolidate the migration's cohesion, distinguishing the migrants from the Catholic Romans. It also connected Alboin and his people to
10412-660: The disagreements between the Pope and Byzantium concerning the reverence of icons , he annexed the Exarchate of Ravenna and the duchy of Rome . He also helped the Frankish marshal Charles Martel drive back the Arabs . The Slavs were defeated in the Battle of Lavariano , when they tried to conquer the Friulian Plain in 720. Liutprand's successor Aistulf conquered Ravenna for the Lombards for
10549-450: The dominance there of the Germanic peoples . The period of Alboin's reign as king in Pannonia following the death of his father, Audoin , was one of confrontation and conflict between the Lombards and their main neighbours, the Gepids. The Gepids initially gained the upper hand, but in 567, thanks to his alliance with the Avars , Alboin inflicted a decisive defeat on his enemies, whose lands
10686-519: The downfall of the hero and his expulsion from the promised land, because of his human weakness. In this story, the skull cup plays a key role as it unites original sin and barbarism. Goffart does not exclude the possibility that Paul had really seen the skull but believes that by the 740s the connection between sin and barbarism as exemplified by the skull cup had already been established. In her plan to kill her husband Rosamund found an ally in Helmichis,
10823-545: The ensuing battle, their king slain by Alboin, and Cunimund's daughter Rosamund taken captive, according to references in the Origo . The full destruction of the Gepid kingdom was completed by the Avars, who overcame the Gepids in the east. As a result, the Gepids ceased to exist as an independent people and were partly absorbed by the Lombards and the Avars. Sometime before 568, Alboin's first wife Chlothsind died, and after his victory against Cunimund Alboin married Rosamund, to establish
10960-452: The exact extent of the despoliation of the Roman aristocracy is a subject of heated debate. The clergy was also greatly affected. The Lombards were mostly pagans and displayed little respect for the clergy and Church property. Many churchmen left their sees to escape from the Lombards, like the two most senior bishops in the north, Honoratus and Paulinus. However, most of the suffragan bishops in
11097-545: The exodus was probably overpopulation . The departing people were led by Gambara and her sons Ybor and Aio and arrived in the lands of Scoringa , perhaps the Baltic coast or the Bardengau on the banks of the Elbe . Scoringa was ruled by the Vandals and their chieftains, the brothers Ambri and Assi, who granted the Winnili a choice between tribute or war. The Winnili were young and brave and refused to pay tribute, saying "It
11234-536: The first Lombard duchy, which he entrusted to his nephew Gisulf . Soon Vicenza , Verona and Brescia fell into Germanic hands. In the summer of 569, the Lombards conquered the main Roman centre of northern Italy , Milan . The area was then recovering from the terrible Gothic Wars , and the small Byzantine army left for its defence could do almost nothing. Longinus, the Exarch sent to Italy by Emperor Justin II , could only defend coastal cities that could be supplied by
11371-492: The first time but had to relinquish it when he was subsequently defeated by the king of the Franks, Pippin III , who was called by the Pope. After the death of Aistulf, Ratchis attempted to become king of Lombardy, but he was deposed by Desiderius , duke of Tuscany , the last Lombard to rule as king. Desiderius managed to take Ravenna definitively, ending the Byzantine presence in northern Italy. He decided to reopen struggles against
11508-545: The goods and chattels they brought with them, and possibly also because they were waiting for the Saxons to join them on the road. By September raiding parties were looting Venetia , but it was probably only in 569 that the Julian Alps were crossed at the Vipava Valley ; the eyewitness Secundus of Non gives the date as 20 or 21 May. The 569 date for the entry into Italy is not void of difficulties however, and Jörg Jarnut believes
11645-427: The harvesting and replenish their granaries for the march. The reason behind the spring departure could be the anxiety induced by the neighbouring Avars, despite the friendship treaty. Nomadic peoples like the Avars also waited for autumn to begin their military campaigns, as they needed enough forage for their horses. A sign of this anxiety can also be seen in the decision taken by Alboin to ravage Pannonia, which created
11782-487: The hostility existing among the northern Italian bishops towards the papacy and the empire due to the religious dispute involving the " Three-Chapter Controversy ". In Lombard territory, churchmen were at least sure to avoid imperial religious persecution. In the view of Pierre Riché, the disappearance of 220 bishops' seats indicates that the Lombard migration was a crippling catastrophe for the Church. Yet according to Walter Pohl
11919-422: The increasing power of the Franks. In response, the kings tried to centralize power over time, but they definitively lost control over Spoleto and Benevento in the attempt. In 572, Alboin was murdered in Verona in a plot led by his wife, Rosamund, who later fled to Ravenna . His successor, Cleph , was also assassinated, after a ruthless reign of 18 months. His death began an interregnum of years (the " Rule of
12056-453: The king's foster brother and spatharius (arms bearer). According to Paul the queen then recruited the king's cubicularius (bedchamberlain), Peredeo, into the plot, after having seduced him. When Alboin retired for his midday rest on 28 June, care was taken to leave the door open and unguarded. Alboin's sword was also removed, leaving him defenceless when Peredeo entered his room and killed him. Alboin's remains were allegedly buried beneath
12193-607: The land to the west of the Soča River, namely the Gorizia Hills and the Venetian Slovenia . A new ethnic border was established that has lasted for over 1200 years up until the present time. The Lombard reign began to recover only with Liutprand the Lombard (king from 712), son of Ansprand and successor of the brutal Aripert II . He managed to regain a certain control over Spoleto and Benevento, and, taking advantage of
12330-525: The last in the line of hero-kings who had led the Lombards through their migrations from the vale of the Elbe to Italy. For many centuries following his death Alboin's heroism and his success in battle were celebrated in Saxon and Bavarian epic poetry. The name Alboin derives from the Proto-Germanic roots * albiz (" elf ") and * winiz ("friend"); it is thus cognate with the Old English name Ælfwine . He
12467-586: The long Gothic War (535–554) between the Byzantine Empire and the Ostrogothic Kingdom . The Lombards were joined by numerous Saxons , Heruls , Gepids, Bulgars , Thuringians and Ostrogoths , and their invasion of Italy was almost unopposed. By late 569, they had conquered all of northern Italy and the principal cities north of the Po River except Pavia , which fell in 572. At the same time, they occupied areas in central and southern Italy. They established
12604-674: The main Venetian towns closer to the coast on the Via Annia , such as Altinum , Patavium (Padova), Mons Silicis (Monselice), Mantua and Cremona . The invasion of Venetia generated a considerable level of turmoil, spurring waves of refugees from the Lombard-controlled interior to the Byzantine-held coast, often led by their bishops, and resulting in new settlements such as Torcello and Heraclia . Alboin moved west in his march, invading
12741-413: The main cities. The king ruled over them and administered the land through emissaries called gastaldi . This subdivision, however, together with the independent indocility of the duchies, deprived the kingdom of unity, making it weak even when compared to the Byzantines, especially since these had begun to recover from the initial invasion. This weakness became even more evident when the Lombards had to face
12878-533: The mediation of Emperor Justinian . Like his father, Alboin was raised a pagan, although Audoin had at one point attempted to gain Byzantine support against his neighbours by professing himself a Christian. Alboin took as his first wife the Christian Chlothsind , daughter of the Frankish King Chlothar . This marriage, which took place soon after the death of the Frankish ruler Theudebald in 555,
13015-438: The migration. Whence, even until today, we call the villages in which they dwell Gepidan , Bulgarian , Sarmatian , Pannonian , Suabian , Norican , or by other names of this kind." At least 20,000 Saxon warriors, old allies of the Lombards, and their families joined them in their new migration. The first important city to fall was Forum Iulii ( Cividale del Friuli ) in northeastern Italy , in 569. There, Alboin created
13152-468: The most energetic of all Lombard kings. He extended his dominions, conquering Liguria in 643 and the remaining part of the Byzantine territories of inner Veneto , including the Roman city of Opitergium ( Oderzo ). Rothari also made the famous edict bearing his name, the Edictum Rothari , which established the laws and the customs of his people in Latin : the edict did not apply to the tributaries of
13289-818: The most important road junction in the northeast, and the administrative capital of Venetia. The imminent arrival of the Lombards had a considerable impact on the city's population; the Patriarch of Aquileia Paulinus fled with his clergy and flock to the island of Grado in Byzantine-controlled territory. From Aquileia, Alboin took the Via Postumia and swept through Venetia, taking in rapid succession Tarvisium (Treviso), Vicentia (Vicenza), Verona , Brixia ( Brescia ) and Bergomum (Bergamo). The Lombards faced difficulties only in taking Opitergium (Oderzo), which Alboin decided to avoid, as he similarly avoided tackling
13426-458: The north sought an accommodation with the Lombards, as did in 569 the bishop of Tarvisium, Felix, when he journeyed to the Piave river to parley with Alboin, obtaining respect for the Church and its goods in return for this act of homage. It seems certain that many sees maintained an uninterrupted episcopal succession through the turmoil of the invasion and the following years. The transition was eased by
13563-565: The old lands of the Burgundes . In Vurgundaib, the Lombards were stormed in camp by " Bulgars " (probably Huns ) and were defeated; King Agelmund was killed and Laimicho was made king. He was in his youth and desired to avenge the slaughter of Agelmund. The Lombards themselves were probably made subjects of the Huns after the defeat but rose up and defeated them with great slaughter, gaining great booty and confidence as they "became bolder in undertaking
13700-428: The palace steps. Peredeo's figure and role is mostly introduced by Paul; the Origo had for the first time mentioned his name as "Peritheus", but there his role had been different, as he was not the assassin, but the instigator of the assassination. In the vein of his reading of the skull cup, Goffart sees Peredeo not as a historical figure but as an allegorical character: he notes a similarity between Peredeo's name and
13837-418: The peoples united by Alboin to be somewhere between 100,000 and 300,000. As a precautionary move Alboin strengthened his alliance with the Avars, signing what Paul calls a foedus perpetuum ("perpetual treaty") and what is referred to in the 9th-century Historia Langobardorum codicis Gothani as a pactum et foedus amicitiae ("pact and treaty of friendship"), adding that the treaty was put down on paper. By
13974-513: The perils of war". Tacitus also noted that the Lombards were subjects of Marobod the King of the Marcomanni , who was allied with Rome when Arminius and his allies won the Battle of Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD. However, after the outbreak of war between Arminius and Marobod in 17 AD the Lombards and Semnones switched to the alliance of Arminius. They detested Marobod's title of king, and saw Arminius as
14111-661: The philo-Catholic Cunincpert . The Lombards engaged in fierce battles with Slavic peoples during these years: from 623 to 626 the Lombards unsuccessfully attacked the Carantanians , and, in 663–64, the Slavs raided the Vipava Valley and the Friuli . Religious strife and the Slavic raids remained a source of struggle in the following years. In 705, the Friuli Lombards were defeated and lost
14248-401: The powerful Byzantine fleet. Pavia fell after a siege of three years, in 572, becoming the first capital city of the new Lombard kingdom of Italy. In the following years, the Lombards penetrated further south, conquering Tuscany and establishing two duchies, Spoleto and Benevento under Zotto , which soon became semi-independent and even outlasted the northern kingdom, surviving well into
14385-540: The pre-existing hostility between the Avars and the Byzantines, claiming that the latter were allied with the Gepids. Cunimund, on the other hand, encountered hostility when he once again asked the Emperor for military assistance, as the Byzantines had been angered by the Gepids' failure to cede Sirmium to them, as had been agreed. Moreover, Justin II was moving away from the foreign policy of Justinian, and believed in dealing more strictly with bordering states and peoples. Attempts to mollify Justin II with tributes failed, and as
14522-494: The progressive militarization of Italy. The selection of a fortified town as the centre for the new duchy was also an important change from the time in Pannonia, for while urbanized settlements had previously been ignored by the Lombards, now a considerable part of the nobility settled itself in Forum Iulii, a pattern that was repeated regularly by the Lombards in their other duchies. From Forum Iulii, Alboin next reached Aquileia ,
14659-428: The rebel dukes of northern Italy, conquering Padua in 601, Cremona and Mantua in 603, and forcing the Exarch of Ravenna to pay tribute. Agilulf died in 616; Theodelinda reigned alone until 628 when she was succeeded by Adaloald . Arioald , the head of the Arian opposition who had married Theodelinda's daughter Gundeperga, later deposed Adaloald. Arioald was succeeded by Rothari , regarded by many authorities as
14796-447: The region of Liguria (north-west Italy) and reaching its capital Mediolanum ( Milan ) on 3 September 569, only to find it already abandoned by the vicarius Italiae (vicar of Italy), the authority entrusted with the administration of the diocese of Annonarian Italy . Archbishop Honoratus , his clergy, and part of the laity accompanied the vicarius Italiae to find a safe haven in the Byzantine port of Genua (Genoa). Alboin counted
14933-504: The regions directly occupied by Alboin suffered less devastation and had a relatively robust survival rate for towns, whereas the occupation of territory by autonomous military bands interested mainly in raiding and looting had a more severe impact, with the bishoprics in such places rarely surviving. The first attested instance of strong resistance to Alboin's migration took place at the town of Ticinum ( Pavia ), which he started to besiege in 569 and captured only after three years. The town
15070-411: The remaining Gepid nation, and as such her support was a guarantee of the Gepids' loyalty to Helmichis. The latter could also count on the support of the Lombard garrison of Verona, where many may have opposed Alboin's aggressive policy and could have cultivated the hope of reaching an entente with the Empire. The Byzantines were almost certainly deeply involved in the plot. It was in their interest to stem
15207-416: The royal treasure and Alboin's daughter Albsuinda . In Ravenna, the two lovers became estranged and killed each other. Subsequently, Longinus sent Albsuinda and the treasure to Constantinople . Cleph kept the throne for only 18 months before being assassinated by a slave . Possibly he too was killed at the instigation of the Byzantines, who had every interest in avoiding a hostile and solid leadership among
15344-399: The second half of the fourth century, the Lombards left their homes, probably due to bad harvests, and embarked on their migration. The migration route of the Lombards in 489, from their homeland to " Rugiland ", encompassed several places: Scoringa (believed to be their land on the Elbe shores), Mauringa , Golanda , Anthaib , Banthaib , and Vurgundaib ( Burgundaib ). According to
15481-501: The side of a river," and a district near Magdeburg is still called the lange Börde. According to this view Langobardi would signify "inhabitants of the long bord of the river;" and traces of their name are supposed still to occur in such names as Bardengau and Bardewick in the neighborhood of the Elbe. According to the Gallaecian Christian priest , historian and theologian Paulus Orosius (translated by Daines Barrington ),
15618-455: The sign of nomadic cultural influences on the Lombards: by drinking from his enemy's skull Alboin was taking his vital strength. As for the offering of the skull to Rosamund, that may have been a ritual request of complete submission of the queen and her people to the Lombards, and thus a cause of shame or humiliation. Alternatively, it may have been a rite to appease the dead through the offering of
15755-505: The skull cup personally during the 740s in the royal palace of Ticinum in the hands of king Ratchis . The use of skull cups has been noticed among nomadic peoples and, in particular, among the Lombards' neighbours, the Avars. Skull cups are believed to be part of a shamanistic ritual, where drinking from the cup was considered a way to assume the dead man's powers. In this context, Stefano Gasparri and Wilfried Menghen see in Cunimund's skull cup
15892-401: The spot were scant and of dubious loyalty, and the border forts may well have been left unmanned. What seems certain is that archaeological excavations have found no sign of violent confrontation in the sites that have been excavated. This agrees with Paul the Deacon's narrative, who speaks of a Lombard takeover in Friuli "without any hindrance". The first town to fall into the Lombards' hands
16029-411: The structure of the army gave great authority to the military commanders or duces , who led each band ( fara ) of warriors. Additionally, the difficulties encountered by Alboin in building a solid political entity resulted from a lack of imperial legitimacy, as, unlike the Ostrogoths, they had not entered Italy as foederati but as enemies of the Empire. The king's disintegrating authority over his army
16166-422: The support of Alboin's wife, Rosamund , daughter of the Gepid king whom Alboin had killed some years earlier. The coup failed in the face of opposition from a majority of the Lombards, who elected Cleph as Alboin's successor, forcing Helmichis and Rosamund to flee to Ravenna under imperial protection. Alboin's death deprived the Lombards of the only leader who could have kept the newborn Germanic entity together,
16303-577: The support of the Franks for his venture. The precise size of the heterogeneous group gathered by Alboin is impossible to know, and many different estimates have been made. Neil Christie considers 150,000 to be a realistic size, a number which would make the Lombards a more numerous force than the Ostrogoths on the eve of their invasion of Italy. Jörg Jarnut proposes 100,000–150,000 as an approximation; Wilfried Menghen in Die Langobarden estimates 150,000 to 200,000; while Stefano Gasparri cautiously judges
16440-533: The throne, but, as the latter was still a minor, the kingdom was governed in his stead by Alboin's father, Audoin, of the Gausian clan. Seven years later Walthari died, giving Audoin the opportunity to crown himself and overthrow the reigning Lethings . Alboin was probably born in the 530s in Pannonia , the son of Audoin and his wife, Rodelinda . She may have been the niece of King Theodoric and betrothed to Audoin through
16577-510: The title "King of the Lombards". Before then the Germanic kingdoms had frequently conquered each other, but none had adopted the title of King of another people. Charlemagne took part of the Lombard territory to create the Papal States . The Lombardy region in Italy, which includes the cities of Brescia, Bergamo, Milan, and the old capital Pavia, is a reminder of the presence of the Lombards. Chlothsind (queen) Chlothsind (fl. 560s)
16714-593: The toils of war." During the reign of King Claffo , the Langobards occupied parts of modern-day Upper and Lower Austria and converted to Arian Christianity . In 505 the Herulians attacked and defeated them, obliging them to pay tax and withdraw to Northern Bohemia . In 508, King Rodulf sent his brother to the Lombard court to collect tribute and extend the truce; however, he was stabbed by Rometrud, sister of King Tato . Rodulf personally led his forces against Tato, but
16851-462: The towns' doors may have been opened by the betrayal of the Gothic auxiliaries in the Byzantine army, but historians generally hold that Lombard's success occurred because Italy was not considered by Byzantium as a vital part of the empire, especially at a time when the empire was imperilled by the attacks of Avars and Slavs in the Balkans and Sassanids in the east. The Byzantine decision not to contest
16988-534: The twelfth century. Wherever they went, they were joined by the Ostrogothic population, which was allowed to live peacefully in Italy with their Rugian allies under Roman sovereignty. The Byzantines managed to retain control of the area of Ravenna and Rome, linked by a thin corridor running through Perugia . When they entered Italy, some Lombards retained their native form of paganism , while some were Arian Christians. Hence they did not enjoy good relations with
17125-459: The years of his reign from the capture of Milan when he assumed the title of dominus Italiae (Lord of Italy). His success also meant the collapse of Byzantine defences in the northern part of the Po plain , and large movements of refugees to Byzantine areas. Several explanations have been advanced to explain the swiftness and ease of the initial Lombard advance in northern Italy. It has been suggested that
17262-528: Was Forum Iulii (Cividale del Friuli), the seat of the local magister militum . Alboin chose this walled town close to the frontier to be capital of the Duchy of Friuli and made his nephew and shield bearer , Gisulf , duke of the region, with the specific duty of defending the borders from Byzantine or Avar attacks from the east. Gisulf obtained from his uncle the right to choose for his duchy those farae , or clans, that he preferred. Alboin's decision to create
17399-449: Was a Frankish princess and the queen consort of the Lombard king Alboin . Her name may also be spelled Chlothsinda , Chlodosinda , Chlodosind , Chlodoswintha or Chlodosuinth . Chlothsind was a daughter of the Frankish king Chlothar I and queen Ingund . She became the first wife of the Lombard king Alboin while the Lombards were still settled in Pannonia . According to Paul
17536-400: Was also manifested in the invasion of Frankish Burgundy which from 569 or 570 was subject to yearly raids on a major scale. The Lombard attacks were ultimately repelled following Mummolus ' victory at Embrun . These attacks had lasting political consequences, souring the previously cordial Lombard-Frankish relations and opening the door to an alliance between the Empire and the Franks against
17673-466: Was ambushed and killed from a hill. In the 540s, Audoin (ruled 546–560) led the Lombards across the Danube once more into Pannonia . Thurisind , King of the Gepids attempted to expel them, and both peoples asked for help from the Byzantines. Justinian I sent his army against the Gepids; however, it was routed on the way by the Herulians and the sides signed a two-year truce. Revenging what he felt as
17810-453: Was facing east, and woke him. So Godan spotted the Winnili first and asked, "Who are these long-beards?," and Frea replied, "My lord, thou hast given them the name, now give them also the victory." From that moment onwards, the Winnili were known as the Longbeards (Latinised as Langobardi , Italianised as Longobardi , and Anglicized as Langobards or Lombards ). When Paul the Deacon wrote
17947-599: Was further east, perhaps on the right bank of the Oder . Schmidt considers the name the equivalent of Gotland , meaning simply "good land". This theory is highly plausible; Paul the Deacon mentions the Lombards crossing a river, and they could have reached Rugiland from the Upper Oder area via the Moravian Gate . Moving out of Golanda, the Lombards passed through Anthaib and Banthaib until they reached Vurgundaib, believed to be
18084-505: Was in Italy with Alboin too: of all men he had, as I have heard, the readiest hand to do brave deeds, the most generous heart in giving out rings and shining torcs, Audoin's son. Lombards The Lombards ( / ˈ l ɒ m b ər d z , - b ɑːr d z , ˈ l ʌ m -/ ) or Longobards ( Latin : Longobardi ) were
18221-462: Was known in Latin as Alboinus and in Greek as Ἀλβοΐνος ( Alboinos ). In modern Italian he is Alboino and in modern Lombard Alboin . The Lombards under King Wacho had migrated towards the east into Pannonia, taking advantage of the difficulties facing the Ostrogothic Kingdom in Italy following the death of its founder, Theodoric , in 526. Wacho's death in about 540 brought his son Walthari to
18358-621: Was of strategic importance, sitting at the confluence of the rivers Po and Ticino and connected by waterways to Ravenna, the capital of Byzantine Italy and the seat of the Praetorian prefecture of Italy . Its fall cut direct communications between the garrisons stationed on the Alpes Maritimae and the Adriatic coast . Careful to maintain the initiative against the Byzantines, by 570 Alboin had taken their last defences in northern Italy except for
18495-460: Was probably only in 578–579 that Tuscany was conquered, but Jörg Jarnut and others believe this began in some form under Alboin, although it was not completed by the time of his death. Alboin's problems in maintaining control over his people worsened during the siege of Ticinum. The nature of the Lombard monarchy made it difficult for a ruler to exert the same degree of authority over his subjects as had been exercised by Theodoric over his Goths, and
18632-401: Was taken only after a siege lasting three years. During that time Alboin turned his attention to Tuscany , but signs of factionalism among his supporters and Alboin's diminishing control over his army increasingly began to manifest themselves. Alboin was assassinated on 28 June 572, in a coup d'état instigated by the Byzantines. It was organized by the king's foster brother, Helmichis , with
18769-667: Was the lands of the lower Elbe. In the mid-second century, the Lombards supposedly appeared in the Rhineland , because according to Claudius Ptolemy , the Suebic Lombards lived "below" the Bructeri and Sugambri , and between these and the Tencteri . To their east stretching northwards to the central Elbe are the Suebi Angili . But Ptolemy also mentions the "Laccobardi" to the north of
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