Gulfaris also Gulfari (

fl. ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

599) was a Lombard from

Istria Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; ist, Eîstria; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian, Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; formerly in Latin and in Ancient Greek) is the larges ...

who entered

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 ...

service and became a ''

magister militium (Latin for "master of soldiers", plural ) was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine the Great. The term referred to the senior military officer (equivalent to a war theatre commander, ...

''. He was of Lombard descent, as evidenced by his name. Gulfaris is also credited as ''dux Istrae''. In the early Middle Ages, Lombard kings conquered and invaded Istria several times, sometimes in alliance with the Slavs, as in 601 (or 602), although the extent of their settlement of the peninsula is a matter of debate. Gulfaris was renowned for his good deeds. He might have been the same person as an Ulfari, lord of

Treviso Treviso ( , ; vec, Trevixo) is a city and ''comune'' in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 84,669 inhabitants (as of September 2017). Some 3,000 live within the Veneti ...

, who is known for rebelling against the Arian king

Agilulf Agilulf ( 555 – April 616), called ''the Thuringian'' and nicknamed ''Ago'', was a duke of Turin and king of the Lombards from 591 until his death. A relative of his predecessor Authari, Agilulf was of Thuringian origin and belonged to the An ...

. Gulfaris is said to have opposed the Istrian supporters of the Three Chapters schism. He was called "glorious son" by Pope Gregory. Gulfaris is best known for being the subject of an epistle by

Pope Gregory Gregory has been the name of sixteen Roman Catholic Popes and two Antipopes: *Pope Gregory I ("the Great"; 590–604), after whom the Gregorian chant is named *Pope Gregory II (715–731) *Pope Gregory III (731–741) *Pope Gregory IV (827–844) * ...

(Gregory to Gulfaris). In the letter the Pope compliments Gulfaris for his faith and loyalty to the apostolic church. Gulfaris remained in Istria after the establishment of the

Exarchate 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 ...

, becoming one of the several dukes of Lombard descent in the

provinces. Unlike the exarch, who was of eastern origin, the provincial commanders came from different backgrounds.

External links

Pope Gregory's epistle to Gulfaris

References

{{reflist Lombard warriors 7th-century Lombard people People from Istria Magistri militum 7th-century Byzantine military personnel