Lombard Kingdom

A Germanic kingdom that ruled much of Italy from the sixth century until its conquest by the Franks in 774. Its rulers governed a patchwork of territories, including powerful duchies and lands under direct royal control.

Lombard duchies: Semi-autonomous territories governed by Lombard dukes within the kingdom. Duchies such as Spoleto and Benevento held substantial power beyond the king’s direct reach.
Lombards: A Germanic people who entered Italy in 568 and established a kingdom there. The kingdom took its name from the people who conquered much of Italy.
Authari: A Lombard king who ruled from 584 to 590 and strengthened royal authority. His reign helped consolidate the kingdom after a period without a king.
Siege of Pavia: The Frankish siege of the Lombard capital that ended with its capture in 774. Pavia’s fall brought the kingdom’s final defeat and Desiderius’s removal.
Duke of Benevento: The ruler of the southern Lombard duchy of Benevento. Benevento preserved a Lombard political center after the northern kingdom fell in 774.
Alboin: The Lombard king who led the invasion of Italy in 568. His campaign initiated the kingdom’s expansion into the Italian peninsula.
Agilulf: A Lombard king who ruled from 591 to 616 and expanded royal power. His reign brought greater political stability and closer relations with the papacy.
Frankish conquest of the Lombard Kingdom: Charlemagne’s conquest of the Lombard kingdom, completed in 774. The conquest ended Lombard independence and made Charlemagne king of the Lombards.
Lombard law: The body of laws and legal customs associated with the Lombards, codified under King Rothari and later rulers. Written law helped define royal authority and govern a diverse population.
Lombard invasion of Italy: The Lombard migration and conquest that began in Italy in 568. It established the political foothold from which the kingdom grew.

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