Grimoald or Grimwald (c. 610 – 671) was a 7th-century

King of Italy King of Italy ( it, links=no, Re d'Italia; la, links=no, Rex Italiae) was the title given to the ruler of the Kingdom of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The first to take the title was Odoacer, a barbarian military leader, ...

, ruling as Duke of

Benevento Benevento (, , ; la, Beneventum) is a city and ''comune'' of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the ...

from 647 to 662, and then as King of the

Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 and ...

from 662 until his death in 671.

Chris Wickham Christopher John Wickham, (born 18 May 1950) is a British historian and academic. From 2005 to 2016, he was Chichele Professor of Medieval History at the University of Oxford and Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford: he is now emeritus professor ...

, ''Early Medieval Italy: Central Power and Local Society, 400–1000'' (London: Macmillan, 1981), 224–25.

Life

Grimoald was born in 610 A.D. as the heir of Duke Gisulf II of Friuli and the Bavarian Princess Ramhilde, daughter of Duke

Garibald I of Bavaria Garibald I (also Garivald; la, Garibaldus; born 540) was Duke (or King) of Bavaria from 555 until 591. He was the head of the Agilolfings, and the ancestor of the Bavarian dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of the Lombards. Biography After the dea ...

. From 641 to 642, he and his brother Radoald served as

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

s to Duke Aiulf I, their adoptive brother. In 647, Grimoald succeeded Radoald as Duke of Benevento.Andrea Bedina, "Grimoaldo, re dei Longobardi", ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'', 59 (Rome: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2003). In 662, he assassinated King Godepert and proclaimed himself

King of the Lombards The Kings of the Lombards or ''reges Langobardorum'' (singular ''rex Langobardorum'') were the monarchs of the Lombards, Lombard people from the early 6th century until the Lombardic identity became lost in the 9th and 10th centuries. After 568, ...

. He married Princess

Theodota Theodota (also spelled Teodote or Theodote) was a Byzantine noblewoman, most notable for her association with the Lombard king Cunipert (688-700). The Plutei of Theodota are named after her. A biography of her appears in Book 5 of Paul the Deacon ...

, daughter of King

Aripert I Aripert I (also spelled ''Aribert'') was king of the Lombards (653–661) in Italy. He was the son of Gundoald, Duke of Asti, who had crossed the Alps from Bavaria with his sister Theodelinda. As a relative of the Bavarian ducal house, his was ca ...

Reign

Grimoald passed on the title of Duke of Benevento to his eldest son

Romuald Romuald ( la, Romualdus; 951 – traditionally 19 June, c. 1025/27 AD) was the founder of the Camaldolese order and a major figure in the eleventh-century "Renaissance of eremitical asceticism".John Howe, "The Awesome Hermit: The Symbolic ...

in 662, following a call to assist King Godepert in a war with his brother King Perctarit. With the aid of Garibald, Duke of Turin, Grimoald assassinated Godepert and forced Perctarit to flee. Grimoald sent Perctarit's wife and son to Benevento and took over as

. He promptly married Godepert's sister

, in order to associate himself with the Bavarian Dynasty of Theodelinda. His skill in battle secured victories in many border wars. He personally led his armies to victory against the Byzantines ''(under Emperor Constans II)'' at the siege of Benevento. Romuald took

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label= Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important com ...

and

Brindisi Brindisi ( , ) ; la, Brundisium; grc, Βρεντέσιον, translit=Brentésion; cms, Brunda), group=pron is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Histo ...

, thus reducing the Byzantine influence in the region during Mezezius' rebellion in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. Grimoald took

Forlì Forlì ( , ; rgn, Furlè ; la, Forum Livii) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. It is the central city of Romagna. The city is situated along the Via E ...

in the north from the Greeks and razed Oderzo where his brother had been murdered years before. His capture of Forlì on Easter Day was polarizing between

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

Christians and Pagan Longobard traditionalists, as many Christians were slaughtered during festivities. While battling the Byzantines in

Southern Italy Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half. The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...

, he appointed Duke

Lupus of Friuli Lupus was the Duke of Friuli from between 660 and 663 to his death around 666. Immediately after he succeeded to Friuli, Lupus invaded Grado with a body of cavalry and plundered the city, then proceeding to Aquileia, where he stole the treasures o ...

as Regent in the North. Soon after, Lupus usurped all authority and rebelled; Lupus's forces were promptly defeated, he was killed, and his duchy destroyed with the help of the Avars. Grimoald tracked down Lupus' aspiring son Arnefrit and his Slavic allies, defeating them at Nimis. Arnefrit was killed in battle. Grimoald placed Wechthari, a stalwart enemy of the Slavs, in Friuli. Grimoald defeated the Franks, who invaded during the infancy of

Chlothar III Chlothar III (or ''Chlotar'', ''Clothar'', ''Clotaire'', ''Chlotochar'', or ''Hlothar'', giving rise to the name Lothair; 652–673) was the eldest son of Clovis II, king of Neustria and Burgundy, and his queen Balthild. When Clovis died in 657, C ...

. Grimoald had allied with Perctarit at

Asti Asti ( , , ; pms, Ast ) is a ''comune'' of 74,348 inhabitants (1-1-2021) located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and it is deemed t ...

and the Avars, of whom he had been a hostage in his youth. He saved the northeast of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

by defeating the Slav tribes and maintained internal order by suppressing the baronial revolts and autonomy of the duchies of Friuli and of

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 ...

, where he installed Thrasimund. In his religion, he remained nominally

Arian Arianism ( grc-x-koine, Ἀρειανισμός, ) is a Christological doctrine first attributed to Arius (), a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt. Arian theology holds that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was begotten by God t ...

(though according to Vita Sancti Barbati both he and his son Romuald still practiced the ancient Pagan rights of both Benevento and the Longobard nation) despite his marriage to a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He distanced himself from the

Papacy The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

. However, he perceived Saint Michael—whose cult was spreading strongly from

Monte Gargano Gargano (, Gargano Apulian Italo-Romance arˈgæːnə is a historical and geographical sub-region in the province of Foggia, Apulia, southeast Italy, consisting of a wide isolated mountain massif made of highland and several peaks and forming ...

—as the warrior-protector of the Lombard nation, replacing Wodan (

Odin Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered Æsir, god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, v ...

) due to their similar narratives at the time. He died in 671 after concluding a

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations An international organization or international o ...

with the Franks. His son Garibald was not elected to succeed him on account of his youth and was then deposed by the once exiled Perctarit in three months time. Grimoald was popular for his generosity and mercy, as well as his ruthlessness in war. His son

was left in Benevento, which once again drifted away from the central authority.

Life

Reign

References

Further reading