Wechtar (or Wechthari), a Lombard from

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region at the northern base of the ''Monte Berico'', where it straddles the Bacchiglione River. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and east of Milan. Vicenza is a th ...

, was the

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 ...

from 666 to 678. He took control of

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 Giulia ...

at the command of King Grimoald following the rebellion of

Lupus Lupus, technically known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Comm ...

and Arnefrit and the invasion of the Avars. According to

Paul the Deacon Paul the Deacon ( 720s 13 April in 796, 797, 798, or 799 AD), also known as ''Paulus Diaconus'', ''Warnefridus'', ''Barnefridus'', or ''Winfridus'', and sometimes suffixed ''Cassinensis'' (''i.e.'' "of Monte Cassino"), was a Benedictine monk, s ...

, he was a mild and fair ruler. Soon after Grimoald pacified the region, Wechtar was appointed duke. Soon after his appointment, he travelled to

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 capit ...

and, while he was away, the

Slavs Slavs are the largest European ethnolinguistic group. They speak the various Slavic languages, belonging to the larger Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout northern Eurasia, main ...

, formerly allies of Arnefrit, invaded his duchy. They intended to take ''Forum Julii'' (modern

Cividale Cividale del Friuli ( fur, Cividât (locally ); german: Östrich; sl, Čedad) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Udine, part of the Northern Italy, North-Italian Friuli Venezia Giulia ''regione''. The town lies above sea-level in the foo ...

) and camped at ''Boxas'', the location of which remains uncertain. Some have put it at Purgessimus, some at Prosascus near the source of the

Natisone The Natisone ( fur, Nadison; sl, Nadiža; la, Natiso) is a river in Slovenia and Italy. It flows for some time as a border river between Slovenia and Italy, continues in Slovenia and then crosses the border and continues in Eastern Friuli, in no ...

(''Natisio''), still others at Borgo Bressana, and finally, and most definitively, near Brischis just outside the city. Paul relates that Wechtar had just returned from Pavia at the same time when he heard of their encampment and marched against them with twenty five men. At a bridge over the Natisone, Wechtar met them and, again according to Paul, defeated them in a route.Two anecdotes surround this brief expedition, the one concerning the insulting Slavic joke that the twenty six men advancing on them must be the

Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...

and his clergy, and the other concerning Wechtar's baldness, which he revealed by removing his helmet in order to inspire fear and flight in his enemies. The patriarch was then seated in

Aquileia Aquileia / / / / ;Bilingual name of ''Aquileja – Oglej'' in: vec, Aquiłeja / ; Slovenian: ''Oglej''), group=pron is an ancient Roman city in Italy, at the head of the Adriatic at the edge of the lagoons, about from the sea, on the river N ...

and not until 737 in Cividale, which supports doubts about this story. The historical accuracy of Paul's account has, on the basis of its outrageous numbers, been called into question. Wechtar died and was succeeded by Landari.

References

Further reading