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 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 professo ...

, ''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 Gisulf II (''Gisulfo II di Friuli''; abt. 545 – 611) was the Duke of Friuli from around 591 to his death. He was the son and successor of Gisulf I. Gisulf and Gaidoald of Trent were at odds with King Agilulf until they made peace in 602 or 603 ...

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 de ...

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

, 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 wa ...

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 S ...

in 662, following a call to assist King

Godepert Godepert (also ''Gundipert'', ''Godebert'', ''Godipert'', ''Godpert'', ''Gotebert'', ''Gotbert'', ''Gotpert'', ''Gosbert'', or ''Gottbert'') was king of the Lombards (crowned 661), eldest son and successor of Aripert I. He was an Arian who govern ...

in a war with his brother King

Perctarit Perctarit (also Berthari) (died 688) was king of the Lombards from 661 to 662 the first time and later from 671 to 688. He was the son and successor of Aripert I. He shared power with his brother Godepert. He was a Catholic, whereas Godepert wa ...

. 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 King of the Lombards. He promptly married Godepert's sister

, in order to associate himself with the

Bavarian Dynasty The Bavarian dynasty was those kings of the Lombards who were descended from Garibald I, the Agilolfing duke of Bavaria. They came to rule the Lombards through Garibald's daughter Theodelinda, who married the Lombard king Authari in 588. The Bava ...

Theodelinda Theodelinda also spelled ''Theudelinde'' ( 570–628 AD), was a queen of the Lombards by marriage to two consecutive Lombard rulers, Autari and then Agilulf, and regent of Lombardia during the minority of her son Adaloald, and co-regent when he ...

. 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 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. Hist ...

, thus reducing the Byzantine influence in the region during

Mezezius Mizizios or Mezezius ( el, Μιζίζιος; hy, Մժէժ, ''Mžēž'' or ''Mzhezh'') was an Armenian noble who served as a general of Byzantium, later usurping the Byzantine throne in Sicily from 668 to 669. Origin and early career According ...

' rebellion in Sicily. 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 Oderzo ( la, Opitergium; vec, Oderso) is a '' comune'' with a population of 20,003 in the province of Treviso, Veneto, northern Italy. It lies in the heart of the Venetian plain, about to the northeast of Venice. Oderzo is crossed by the Monti ...

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-pa ...

Christians and Pagan Longobard traditionalists, as many Christians were slaughtered during festivities. While battling the Byzantines in Southern Italy, he appointed Duke Lupus of Friuli 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 Nimis ( sl, Neme) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Udine, Friuli, north-eastern Italy, near the border with Slovenia. It is located at the foot of Mount Bernadia, home to a World War I Italian fort and a sweet white wine called Ra ...

. Arnefrit was killed in battle. Grimoald placed Wechthari, a stalwart enemy of the Slavs, in

Friuli Friuli ( fur, Friûl, sl, Furlanija, german: Friaul) is an area of Northeast Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity containing 1,000,000 Friulians. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli Venezia Giuli ...

. 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, ...

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

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 Sp ...

, 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 formin ...

—as the warrior-protector of the Lombard nation, replacing Wodan ( Odin) 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, individuals, business entities, and other legal pers ...

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