Grimoald or Grimwald (†671) was a 7th-century

King of Italy King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by ...

, ruling as Duke of

Benevento Benevento ( ; , ; ) is a city and (municipality) 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 Sabato (r ...

from 647 to 662, and then as King of the

Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...

from 662 until his death in 671.

Life

Grimoald was born as the youngest son of Duke Gisulf II of Friuli and the Bavarian Princess Ramhilde, daughter of Duke Garibald I of Bavaria. When the Avars invaded Italy in 611, Gisulf's army was outnumbered and the duchy overrun. Gisulf died in battle; Grimoald and his brother Radoald escaped to Beneventum, where they were adopted by Duke Arechis, a distant kinsman. From 641 to 642, he and his brother served as

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

s to Arechis's son and successor Duke Aiulf I. Aiulf was killed in 642, defending against some Slavic invaders; he was succeeded by Radoald. 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). As duke, he successfully defended the Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo on Mount Gargano from "Greeks", possibly from Naples, who had come to plunder.

Reign

In 661 Aripert I, King of the Lombards, was succeeded by his sons

Perctarit Perctarit (also Berthari; died 688) was the first Catholic Church, Catholic king of the Lombards, leading a religiously divided kingdom during the 7th century. He ruled first from 661 to 662, and again from 671 to 688. He is notable for making Cat ...

, who governed from Milan, and Godepert from Pavia. In 662 the brothers fell out, and Godepert sent Garipald, Duke of Turin to persuade Grimoald to assist in a war against Perctarit. With the connivance of Garibald, Grimoald assassinated Godepert and forced Perctarit to flee.''The Cambridge Medieval History'', Volume 2, (Henry Melvill Gwatkin, James Pounder Whitney, eds.) Macmillan, 1913, p. 204
/ref> Garipald was subsequently killed by one of Godepert's retainers. Grimoald sent Perctarit's wife and son to Benevento and took over as

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 774, the kings ...

. He promptly married Godepert's sister Theodota,"Grimoaldus (2)", ''A Dictionary of Christian Biography'', Volume 2 (William Smith, ed.) J. Murray, 1880, p. 802
/ref> in order to associate himself with the Bavarian dynasty of Theodelinda. Grimoald passed on the title of Duke of Benevento to his eldest son Romuald. 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 ( ; ) 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. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic position ...

, thus reducing the Byzantine influence in the region during Mezezius' rebellion in

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

. Grimoald took Forlì in the north from the Greeks and razed Oderzo where his brothers Tasso and Kakko had been murdered years before. His capture of Forlì on Easter Day was polarizing between Orthodox Christians and Pagan Longobard traditionalists, as many Christians were slaughtered during festivities. While battling the Byzantines in

Southern Italy Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...

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

Friuli Friuli (; ; or ; ; ) is a historical region of northeast Italy. The region is marked by its separate regional and ethnic identity predominantly tied to the Friulians, who speak the Friulian language. It comprises the major part of the autono ...

. Grimoald defeated the Franks, who invaded during the infancy of Chlothar III.Oman, Charles. ''The Dark Ages: 476-918'', Rivingtons, 1914, p. 274
/ref> He saved the northeast of

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

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 , , ; ) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is south of Trevi, north of Terni, southeast of Perugia; southeast of Florence; and north of Rome. H ...

, where he installed Thrasimund. In his religion, he remained nominally Arian (though according to Vita Sancti Barbati both he and his son Romuald still practiced the ancient Pagan rites 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 List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He distanced himself from the

papacy The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

. However, he perceived Saint Michael—whose cult was spreading strongly from Monte Gargano—as the warrior-protector of the Lombard nation, replacing Wodan (

Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...

) due to their similar narratives at the time. He had San Michele Maggiore built over the site of the Lombard Palace chapel in Pavia. He died in 671 after concluding a

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

with the Franks. Grimoald was buried in the Basilica of St. Ambrose in Pavia His son Garibald was elected to succeed him 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 Romuald was left in Benevento, which once again drifted away from the central authority.

Life

Reign

References

Further reading