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Hildeprand was the
Duke of Spoleto The Duke of Spoleto was the ruler of Spoleto and most of central Italy outside the Papal States during the Early and High Middle Ages (c. 500 – 1300). The first dukes were appointed by the Lombard king, but they were independent in practice. Th ...
from 774 to 789. When Theodicius of Spoleto died fighting at the Siege of Pavia in 774, 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 an ...
of the
Duchy of Spoleto The Duchy of Spoleto (, ) was a Lombard territory founded about 570 in central Italy by the Lombard '' dux'' Faroald. Its capital was the city of Spoleto. Lombards The Lombards had invaded Italy in 568 AD and conquered much of it, establishin ...
elected Hildeprand their duke and quickly submitted to the
Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Too ...
. Hildeprand fled to
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 ...
before the Frankish host and did homage to
Pope Hadrian I Pope Adrian I ( la, Hadrianus I; died 25 December 795) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 772 to his death. He was the son of Theodore, a Roman nobleman. Adrian and his predecessors had to contend with periodic ...
. However, the dispute between
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first E ...
and Hadrian as to who had the proper suzerainty over Spoleto was solved in the Franks' favour over the next few years. In January 776, ''Hildeprandus gloriosus et summus dux ducatus Spoletani'' made a donation to the
Abbey of Farfa Farfa Abbey ( it, Abbazia di Farfa) is a territorial abbey in northern Lazio, central Italy. In the Middle Ages it was one of the richest and most famous abbeys in Italy. It belongs to the Benedictine Order and is located about from Rome, in t ...
dating it to the year of Charles' reign. This form was continued in 777 with language implicitly excluding papal suzerainty. In 775, Hadrian alleged that Hildeprand had joined a conspiracy of Hrodgaud of Friuli and Arechis II of Benevento, but there is no evidence of Hildeprand's involvement. Hildeprand remained a staunch opponent of the papacy thereafter. In 779, Hildeprand travelled to ''Virciniacum'' (today
Verzenay Verzenay () is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. The town is famed for its vineyards and its champagne Champagne The village's vineyards are located in the Montagne de Reims subregion of Champagne, and are classified ...
Regnum Francorum Online
/ref>), probably near
Compiègne Compiègne (; pcd, Compiène) is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. It is located on the river Oise. Its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois''. Administration Compiègne is the seat of two cantons: * Compiègne-1 (with 1 ...
, to profess fealty to Charlemagne. He brought with him gifts and left with promises that the king would protect his interests from those of the pope. In 788, Hildeprand joined Frankish and Lombard troops in resisting a
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 Constantino ...
invasion. He died the next year and was succeeded by a royal appointee: a Frank, named Winiges.


References


Sources

* Hodgkin, Thomas. ''Italy and her Invaders''. Clarendon Press: 1895. 8th-century dukes of Spoleto Lombard warriors 8th-century births 789 deaths {{Italy-noble-stub