Hildeprand (died after 744), sometimes called the Useless, was the

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

from around 735 in association with his uncle, Liutprand. After Liutprand's death in 744, Hildeprand ruled in his own name until he was overthrown later that year by Ratchis,

duke of Friuli The dukes and margraves of Friuli were the rulers of the Duchy and March of Friuli in the Middle Ages. The dates given below, when contentious, are discussed in the articles of the respective dukes. Lombard dukes * 568–c.584 Grasulf I * 5 ...

. The son of Sigiprand, duke of Asti, Hildeprand was also a duke (''dux'') prior to his elevation to the throne. In 734, he participated in the successful siege of Byzantine Ravenna. Either just before or after the siege, Liutprand fell ill and was not expected to live. The leading Lombard noblemen elected Hildeprand as king, but Liutprand recovered. Although displeased with the election, he felt bound to accept Hildeprand as co-ruler. Liutprand himself had been elected while his father

Ansprand Ansprand ( 657 – 712) was king of the Lombards briefly in 712. Before that he was the duke of Asti and regent during the minority of Liutpert (700–701). He was defeated at Novara by Raginpert and exiled during the subsequent war over the succ ...

, was fatally ill. In both cases, the initiative to elect a successor was taken by the nobility. By 735, the diplomacy of

Pope Gregory II Pope Gregory II ( la, Gregorius II; 669 – 11 February 731) was the bishop of Rome from 19 May 715 to his death.

had patched together an alliance between the Byzantine exarch,

Eutychius Eutychius or Eutychios ( el, Εὐτύχιος, "fortunate") may refer to: * Eutychius Proclus, 2nd-century grammarian * Eutychius (exarch) (died 752), last Byzantine exarch of Ravenna * Saint Eutychius, an early Christian martyr and companion of ...

, Duke Ursus of Venetia and Patriarch Antoninus of Grado. With a large Venetian fleet, the new allies retook Ravenna. In this second siege, Hildeprand and Duke

Peredeo of Vicenza Rosamund ( 572) was a Lombard queen. She was the daughter of Cunimund, king of the Gepids, and wife of Alboin, king of the Lombards. Life Rosamund was born into a kingdom in crisis, as the Gepid people had been fighting a losing battle against t ...

were captured by the Venetians, according to the ''

Chronicon Venetum The ''Chronicon Venetum et Gradense'', formerly known as the ''Chronicon Sagornini'', is a Venetian chronicle compiled by John the Deacon in ca. 1008. It is the oldest chronicle of the Republic of Venice. John was the chaplain and perhaps a rel ...

''. In 739, while Liutprand was campaigning against the church in the

Duchy of Rome The Duchy of Rome ( la, Ducatus Romanus) was a state within the Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna. Like other Byzantine states in Italy, it was ruled by an imperial functionary with the title ''dux''. The duchy often came into conflict with the Papa ...

, Hildeprand was ravaging the ecclesiastical lands around Ravenna. In August, he was joined by Liutprand, who attacked the Pentapolis. By 743, Liutprand's health had again begun to fail, and there may have arisen a pro-papal party in the kingdom, led by Duke Ratchis. The next year Liutprand died and Hildeprand succeeded unopposed, being elected in

Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the cap ...

, near the church of Santa Maria delle Pertiche, in the presence of the Lombard army.Piero Majocchi, "Sviluppo e affermazione di una capitale altomedievale: Pavia in età gota e longobarda", ''Reti Medievali - Rivista'', XI - 2010, 2
/ref> He had proved himself an opponent of both the Byzantines and the Papacy, and within a few months he was overthrown by a revolt led by Ratchis, who immediately made peace with Pope Zachary.

References

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* * * * * {{Antique Kings of Italy 8th-century Lombard monarchs Lombard warriors Year of birth missing 744 deaths