Ariulf (died 602) was the second Duke of Spoleto from 592 (the death of

Faroald Faroald I (also spelled Faruald) (died 591 or 592) was the first Duke of Spoleto, which he established during the decade of interregnum that followed the death of Alboin's successor (574 or 575). He led the Lombards into the centre of the Italian ...

The dates of Ariulf's reign are either 591–601 or 592–602.) to his own death. In 592, Ariulf, whose position at

Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; la, Spoletum) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome. History Spolet ...

and control of key points along the Via Flaminia, the key communication between

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the ca ...

and

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, to cut its alternative, the fortified

Via Amerina The ''Via Cassia'' ("way of Cassius") was an important Roman road striking out of the '' Via Flaminia'' near the Milvian Bridge in the immediate vicinity of Rome and, passing not far from Veii, traversed Etruria. The ''Via Cassia'' passed thr ...

, and capture several

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

cities. He took several strongholds in

Latium Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire. Definition Latium was originally a small triangle of fertile, volcanic soil ( Old Latium) on w ...

and threatened Rome, where

Gregory the Great Pope Gregory I ( la, Gregorius I; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregoria ...

, cut off from the Exarchate, was forced to make a separate peace with him, to the intense dissatisfaction of

Romanus (exarch) Romanus ( grc-gre, Ρωμανός, Rōmanós; died 596 or 597) was Exarch of Ravenna from 589 until 596 or 597. Prior to being appointed Exarch, Romanus won a victory against the future Sassanid ruler Bahram Chobin in 589, provoking his revolt and ...

Exarch of Ravenna The Exarchate of Ravenna ( la, Exarchatus Ravennatis; el, Εξαρχάτο της Ραβέννας) or of Italy was a lordship of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) in Italy, from 584 to 751, when the last exarch was put to death by the ...

, who considered himself the Imperial representative in Italy and popes' superior. Ariulf's successes were brief: the Exarch's forces retook the Roman fortifications and the city of

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and pa ...

and cleared the roads for the time being. He then assisted

Arechis I of Benevento Arechis I (also ''Arigis'', ''Aretchis'', ) was the second duke of Benevento from 591 to his death in 641, a reign of half a century. He was from Friuli and was a relative of the dukes there, maybe a nephew of Zotto, his predecessor. He was appo ...

in besieging

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, another important city of Imperial Italy. He won a great victory at

Camerino Camerino is a town in the province of Macerata, Marche, central-eastern Italy. It is located in the Apennines bordering Umbria, between the valleys of the rivers Potenza and Chienti, about from Ancona. Camerino is home to the University of C ...

, where according to Paul the Deacon, he claimed to have seen Saint Sabinus, the martyr-hero of Spoleto, aiding him and was thus led to convert to Catholic Christianity.

Notes

Sources

* Paul the Deacon
(northvegr.org) ''Historia Langobardorum''
Converts to Roman Catholicism Dukes of Spoleto Lombard warriors 6th-century Lombard people 7th-century Lombard people 6th-century rulers in Europe 7th-century rulers in Europe 6th-century births 602 deaths Year of birth unknown {{Italy-noble-stub