Liutprand, King Of The Lombards
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Liutprand was the
king King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
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 712 to 744 and is chiefly remembered for his multiple phases of law-giving, in fifteen separate sessions from 713 to 735 inclusive, and his long reign, which brought him into a series of conflicts, mostly successful, with most 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 ...
. He is often regarded as the most successful Lombard monarch, notable for the Donation of Sutri in 728, which was the first accolade of sovereign territory to 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 ...
.


Early life

Liutprand's life began inauspiciously. His father was driven to exile among the Bavarians, his older brother Sigipert was blinded by Aripert II, king of the Lombards, and his mother Theodarada and sister Aurona were mutilated (their noses and ears were cut off). Liutprand was spared only because his youth made him appear harmless, described as adolescens in
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, sc ...
's ''
Historia Langobardorum The ''History of the Lombards'' or the ''History of the Langobards'' () is the chief work by Paul the Deacon, written in the late 8th century. This incomplete history in six books was written after 787 and at any rate no later than 796, maybe at ...
'' (Book VI, xxii), suggesting that he was 'probably older than 19 but still in his twenties'. He was released from Aripert II's custody and allowed to join his father.


Reign

The reign of Liutprand occurred in the wake of his overthrow of Aripert II, and officially began just before his father Ansprand's death. Liutprand ruled for thirty-one years and was seen as an aggressive leader, who immediately upon ascension to the throne, moved against the
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
exarchate; he likewise attacked
Ravenna Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...
, destroyed Classe, occupied forts in
Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
as well as Osimo, and captured
Sutri Sutri (Latin ''Sutrium'') is an Ancient town, modern ''comune'' and former bishopric (now a Latin titular see) in the province of Viterbo, about from Rome and about south of Viterbo. It is picturesquely situated on a narrow tuff hill, surrounded ...
. Strategic considerations in mind, Liutprand maintained an alliance with the more "powerfully organized" nation of the
Franks file:Frankish arms.JPG, Aristocratic Frankish burial items from the Merovingian dynasty The Franks ( or ; ; ) were originally a group of Germanic peoples who lived near the Rhine river, Rhine-river military border of Germania Inferior, which wa ...
. Through his assertive actions, Liutprand greatly expanded the boundaries of the Lombard kingdom, as he attempted to bring the entirety of the Italian Peninsula under his control in much the way Charles Martel had. He enjoyed success against the Byzantines and the papacy alike. His improvements to the royal bureaucracy, more effective administration of justice across the Lombard realm, military actions, and competent rule left an important legacy for the Lombards.


Relations with the Agilolfings of Bavaria

Due to their location just north of Italy, the Bavarians made valuable allies for the Lombards. There were already royal marriage ties to both peoples going back to c. 590, when the Lombard king Authari was betrothed to Theodelinda, the Bavarian Garibald's daughter—of the Agilolfing family. At the opening of Liutprand's reign in 712, relations between the Lombard kingdom and Bavaria were good, rendering one of his chief allies the Agilolfing
Theodo I Theodo (about 625 – 11 December c. 716), also known as Theodo V and Theodo II, was the Duke of Bavaria from 670 or, more probably, 680 to his death. It is with Theodo that the well-sourced history of Bavaria begins. He strengthened his duchy ...
, effectively the Frankish duke of Bavaria. Consequently, Liutprand took to wife the young Agilolfing, Guntrud, in 715.


Byzantine wars

Prior to Liutprand's reign, the Byzantines had made "the political borders within Italy definitive" via a treaty in c.680. However, the peace the Lombards had otherwise enjoyed came to an end during his rule, when Byzantines encountered a crisis of their authority inside Italy and began challenging Lombard legitimacy. Liutprand did not at first attack the
Exarchate of Ravenna The Exarchate of Ravenna (; ), also known as the Exarchate of Italy, was an administrative district of the Byzantine Empire comprising, between the 6th and 8th centuries, the territories under the jurisdiction of the exarch of Italy (''exarchus ...
or 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 ...
in the midst of these challenges. But in 726, the Emperor Leo III made his first of many edicts outlawing images or icons (see the
iconoclastic controversy The Byzantine Iconoclasm () are two periods in the history of the Byzantine Empire when the use of religious images or icons was opposed by religious and imperial authorities within the Ecumenical Patriarchate (at the time still comprising th ...
), but this had little practical effect at the time. The pope, Gregory II, refused to comply and likewise "refused to recognize the emperor in his official correspondence". Pope Gregory may have even seen Liutprand as an ally, since not only had Liutprand refused bribes from the exarch Paul at Ravenna, but he "cultivated the image of a liberator" and as a result, there was "considerable warmth and solidarity" between the pontiff and the Lombard monarch. Liutprand chose this time of division between the Roman power-brokers to strike the Byzantine possessions in Emilia. In 727, he crossed the Po and took
Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
, Osimo,
Rimini Rimini ( , ; or ; ) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. Sprawling along the Adriatic Sea, Rimini is situated at a strategically-important north-south passage along the coast at the southern tip of the Po Valley. It is ...
and
Ancona Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...
, along with the other cities of Emilia and the
Pentapolis A pentapolis (from Ancient Greek, Greek ''penta-'', 'five' and ''polis'', 'city') is a geographic and/or institutional grouping of five cities. Cities in the ancient world probably formed such groups for political, commercial and military rea ...
. Authorities in these places "spontaneously" offered their submission to Liutprand. The Lombard king also took Classis, the seaport of
Ravenna Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...
, but could not take Ravenna itself.


Donation of Sutri and Papal acquiescence

In 727, Liutprand entered
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
and seized the fortress of
Sutri Sutri (Latin ''Sutrium'') is an Ancient town, modern ''comune'' and former bishopric (now a Latin titular see) in the province of Viterbo, about from Rome and about south of Viterbo. It is picturesquely situated on a narrow tuff hill, surrounded ...
along the
Via Cassia The Via Cassia () was an important Roman road striking out of the Via Flaminia near the Milvian Bridge in the immediate vicinity of Rome and, passing not far from Veii, traversed Etruria. The ''Via Cassia'' passed through Baccanae, Sutrium ...
near the Lombard border at
Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...
. Alarmed by the Lombards possession of Sutri, Pope Gregory II entreated Liutprand with a "deluge" of money and gifts for a period of some four months before Liutprand assented and gave Sutri over to 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 ...
in 728, all the while maintaining control of the nearby district. Historian Jan Hallenbeck surmises that Liutprand occupied Sutri either for the sake of extorting money from the papacy to defer the financial costs of his military campaigns, or it was part of his offensive in central Italy against Byzantine imperial territory. Hallenbeck adds that neither possibility is "mutually exclusive" nor were they especially "certain", but the Lombard king's capture of Sutri did nothing "to disturb the positive relationship between
Pavia Pavia ( , ; ; ; ; ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, in Northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino (river), Ticino near its confluence with the Po (river), Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was a major polit ...
and Rome" established "earlier in the century". Much fanfare accompanied Liutprand's gift of Sutri—when the king symbolically marched his army to Camp Neronis and laid down his royal insignia, garments, cloak, belt, sword, golden crown and silver cross before Pope Gregory II, which the pontiff ceremoniously handed back in a gesture of acknowledgment to the Lombard monarch's mastery of northern Italy. Shortly thereafter, Liutprand ventured to the Greek monastery of St. Anastosios, a visit which is recorded in a Latin inscription "at the king's foundation at Corteolona. After handing over Sutri and participating in symbolic motions, Liutprand "effected a surprising diplomatic revolution" by accepting gifts and money from Eutychius, the Exarch of Ravenna, becoming his ally; an event described as a "wicked" arrangement by Gregory II's biographer. This agreement gave the appearance that the Lombard monarch wanted to help Eutychius deal with the independent southern Lombard duchies at
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 ...
and
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 ...
, respectively ruled by the dukes, Thrasimund II and Godescalc. However, Hallenbeck postulates it is more likely that by making an ally of Eutychius, Liutprand was checking the power of the papacy and ensuring the exarch would not make trouble for him on the Adriatic; to this end, Liutprand more or less used Eutychius to restore the Lombard kingdom of Italy. Following these events, Liutprand and Eutychius led a combined campaign to the gates of Rome but once there, the Lombard king had a change of heart and submitted to Pope Gregory II. He subsequently convinced the pontiff he meant no harm and persuaded both Eutychius and Gregory II to "dwell" in harmony with one another. Hallenbeck explains the ramifications of this development for Liutprand and the papacy alike:
...the new Lombard kingdom and the Roman political entity were to coexist in harmony as separate and independent states. But Liutprand evidently went further, trying to indicate that he still supported the papacy against Byzantium. That seems to have been the meaning of the king's successful effort to achieve some form of reconciliation of Exarch Eutychius and Gregory. Liutprand not only refrained from aiding Eutychius against the pope as he had promised but also sponsored the reconciliation, which obviously benefited Gregory in that it eased the deep papal-imperial division and, since it involved no papal submission to the empire, suggested a measure of imperial acquiescence in Rome's separation from Byzantium and emergent autonomy in Rome and the duchy. In sum, far from threatening the papacy, Liutprand was clearly promoting conditions which offered positive benefits and peace with the new Lombard Kingdom of Italy.


Sardinia and the remains of Augustine

When the Saracens invaded
Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...
, Liutprand had the relics of
Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...
brought to the northern Italian city of Pavia.


Papal negotiations

Pope Gregory II died in 731 and was succeeded by
Pope Gregory III Pope Gregory III (; died 28 November 741) was the bishop of Rome from 11 February 731 to his death on 28 November 741. His pontificate, like that of his predecessor, was disturbed by Byzantine iconoclasm and the advance of the Lombards, in which ...
. Relations between the new pope and Liutprand were peaceful at first, but Gregory III soon changed course and made agreements with Duke Ursus of Venetia and the Patriarch Antoninus of Grado, who then expelled the Lombards from Ravenna and restored the seat for Eutychius. A partial breakdown of peace across Italy was the result and Liutprand's power receded to only the "customary Lombard realm of the north and the newer royal districts of the exarchate and the Pentapolis". Hostilities ensued between various ducal powers aligned with the pope and the Lombards; when things appeared especially perilous for the papacy, Gregory III appealed to
Charles Martel Charles Martel (; – 22 October 741), ''Martel'' being a sobriquet in Old French for "The Hammer", was a Franks, Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of ...
for help, but the pope's appeals fell on deaf ears since the Frankish king and Liutprand remained in close contact and amicable with one another as kinsmen. Just as the Lombard ruler prepared to make an assault on Rome again, Pope Gregory III died. Soon after the death of Pope Gregory III (741), Liutprand was once again at Rome's doorstep, and neither the Byzantines nor the Franks "seemed likely to send forces to relieve the city". The new pontiff, Zachary, began negotiations with the Lombard king and signed a twenty-year peace. Zachary attained a diplomatic success, re-acquiring four towns recently captured by the Lombards simply by agreeing to Liutprand's demand not to align with the dukes of Spoleto or Benevento. Through his arrangement with Liutprand, Pope Zachary had seized some of the territories that would later become the
Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...
. Sometime later, Pope Zachary again met with Liutprand and was ceded additional land around Ravenna and two-third of
Cesena Cesena (; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy; and - with Forlì - is the capital of the Province of Forlì-Cesena. Served by Autostrada A14 (Italy), Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine M ...
adjacent to the
Apennine Mountains The Apennines or Apennine Mountains ( ; or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; or – a singular with plural meaning; )Latin ''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which would be segmented ''Apenn-inus'', often used with nouns s ...
.


Lawmaking

Along with Rothari, Liutprand is the other major Lombard figure whose legal legacy is recognized today. Liutprand's laws (''Liutprandi Leges'') show a greater degree of Roman influence than do the laws of his predecessors. To this end, Liutprand was known for establishing commonsense laws and during his kingship—at least nominally speaking, according to historian Chris Wickham—he did his best to ensure that the application of law was conducted "in the presence of the whole people, in common counsel with us". Many of the laws promulgated by Liutprand "depict the model of an ideal state, based on political ideas" in keeping with Germanic ideals of the people participating in governing their nation, so claims historian Paolo Delogu. Such governance centered around the notion of free Lombards in solidarity with the king and included the incorporation of judges from across the entire Lombard kingdom. Delogu adds that military service to the state and representation in its defense "was considered as the most complete and honourable form of freedom, whereby the free-born cooperated in maintaining both order and justice within the kingdom, and its independence or superiority with respect to other peoples." Thereby, solidarity to and with the king was "reinforced" by a sworn personal oath of fidelity. Justice itself was administered for all Lombards under the subordination and authority of king Liuprand. Liutprand's legislation did not depend upon the prior models of Germanic tradition, whereby clienteles around powerful regional persons exercised public functional authority, but centered instead around the king's reign. Such changes do not imply a simplification of Lombard legal codices, as Liutprand's lawmaking was quite detailed. For example, one code took into consideration things like penalties for a man taking a woman's clothes while she bathed, making the perpetrator pay a full '' wirigild'' as if he had killed somebody. Some of Liutprand's laws make it clear that Romans and Lombards lived in relative harmony, since one statute (Liutprand 127) mandated that Lombard women who married Romans were obligated to obey Roman laws. Additional legislation covering various charters, wills, forgeries, property sales, and inheritance disputes were commonplace. His pragmatic law-making proved so effective that after 774, the Franks borrowed many of their legal procedures from them.


Death and legacy

According to historian Chris Wickham, Liutprand was "the most powerful Lombard king" and by the time of his death in 744, he possessed "hegemonic" power across the "entire peninsula". His successors included the Ratchis brothers,
Aistulf Aistulf (also Ahistulf, Haistulfus, Astolf etc.; , ; died December 756) was the Duke of Friuli from 744, King of the Lombards from 749, and Duke of Spoleto from 751. His reign was characterized by ruthless and ambitious efforts to conquer Roman ...
,
Desiderius Desiderius, also known as Daufer or Dauferius (born – died ), was king of the Lombards in northern Italy, ruling from 756 to 774. The Frankish king of renown, Charlemagne, married Desiderius's daughter and subsequently conquered his realm. De ...
, and Arichis, none of whom—despite some successes—ruled for as long or controlled equivalent territory. Liuprand's death inaugurated a brief respite in Lombard activity but Ratchis went on campaign to capture the castle at Perugia—a fortification along the military road linking Rome and Ravenna—when Pope Zachary's intervention proved so effective that the Lombard king soon gave up the crown and retreated to a monastic life. in 749, Ratchis was replaced by Aistulf, who led the Lombards on aggressive campaigns that included possessing Ravenna. Still the heritage of Liutprand and his Lombard successors was one that historian Herwig Wolfram avows "prepared the ground for the creation of a medieval Italian nation" for it was none other than the Lombards who "preserved it as a political entity notwithstanding...territorial losses and secessions." So prominent were the Lombards because of kings like Liutprand that even the great
Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...
ruler
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...
included in his title "king of the Franks and Lombards" and the region the Lombards occupied between
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
and Pavia in the 8th century is still called
Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...
to this day.


Possible archaeological remains of Liutprand

In 2018, the bones of king Liutprand were the subject of a bio-archaeological and genetic investigation. The analyses showed that the bones belonged to three upper-class individuals, with strong muscles and who ate proteins, mainly from meat and fish, to a greater extent than the rest of the population, as evidenced by the comparisons with the bone findings coming from some necropolis of the Lombard age found in northern Italy. Of these three individuals, two (a middle-aged man and a younger man) date back to the 6th century, while the third subject, who died around 40/50 years old, was a contemporary of Liutprand: it is therefore possible that the bones of the third individual may belong to the Lombard king.


Sources

The main source for the career of Liutprand is the ''
Historia Langobardorum The ''History of the Lombards'' or the ''History of the Langobards'' () is the chief work by Paul the Deacon, written in the late 8th century. This incomplete history in six books was written after 787 and at any rate no later than 796, maybe at ...
'' of
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, sc ...
, which idealizes Liutprand. It was written after 787 and covers the story of the Lombards from 568 to the death of Liutprand in 744. Though written by a Lombard from a Lombard point of view, it contains much information about the Eastern Roman Empire, the Franks, and others.


References


Informational notes


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Further reading

* Everett, Nicholas. “How territorial was Lombard law?”, in W. Pohl and P. Erhart (eds.). ''Die Langobarden. Herrschaft und Identität.'' Forschungen zur Geschichte des Mittelalters, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (Vienna, 2004), pp. 347–360. * Everett, Nicholas. "Liutprandic letters amongst the Lombards", in K. Forsyth, J. Higgitt, and D. Parsons (eds.), ''Roman, Runes and Ogham. Medieval Inscriptions in the Insular World and on the Continent. Papers of the International Conference on medieval Epigraphy. St Hilda’s College, Oxford, UK. July 16–17, 1996''. Paul Watkins Publishers (Stamford, 2000), pp. 175–189. * Everett, Nicholas. ''Literacy in Lombard Italy''. Cambridge University Press 2003. * La Rocca, Cristina (ed.), ''Italy in the Early Middle Ages.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.
''Lexikon des Mittelalters''


External links



"States of the Church" {{DEFAULTSORT:Liutprand, King of the Lombards 680s births 744 deaths 8th-century Lombard monarchs Lombard warriors Burials at San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro Roman Catholic monarchs