Grimoald III of Benevento
Encyclopedia
Grimoald III was the Lombard
Prince of Benevento from 788 until his own death. He was the second son of Arechis II
and Adelperga
. In 787, he and his elder brother Romoald were sent as hostages to Charlemagne
who had descended the Italian peninsula as far as Salerno
to receive the submission of Benevento. In return for peace, Arechis recognised Charlemagne's suzerainty and handed Grimoald over as a hostage.
When his father and brother both died in 788, Grimoald was allowed to return to Italy. He recognised Frankish overlordship, but was permitted practical independence in return for defending Italy from the Byzantines
. In 788 he faced a Byzantine invasion commanded by Adelchis, the son of the last Lombard king, Desiderius
. A Frankish army under Winigis and Hildebrand, Duke of Spoleto, joined Grimoald and defeated Adelchis on the coast soon after his landing.
Later, Grimoald tried to throw off Frankish suzerainty, but Charlemagne's sons, Pepin of Italy and Charles the Younger, forced him to submit in 792.
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
Prince of Benevento from 788 until his own death. He was the second son of Arechis II
Arechis II of Benevento
Arechis II was Duke of Benevento, in southern Italy, from 758 until his death....
and Adelperga
Adelperga
Adelperga was the daughter of Desiderius, King of the Lombards, and his wife Ansa.Desiderius arranged a strategic marriage between his daughter and the Duke of Benevento, Arechis II, to secure his power in Italy...
. In 787, he and his elder brother Romoald were sent as hostages to Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
who had descended the Italian peninsula as far as Salerno
Salerno
Salerno is a city and comune in Campania and is the capital of the province of the same name. It is located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea....
to receive the submission of Benevento. In return for peace, Arechis recognised Charlemagne's suzerainty and handed Grimoald over as a hostage.
When his father and brother both died in 788, Grimoald was allowed to return to Italy. He recognised Frankish overlordship, but was permitted practical independence in return for defending Italy from the Byzantines
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
. In 788 he faced a Byzantine invasion commanded by Adelchis, the son of the last Lombard king, Desiderius
Desiderius
Desiderius was the last king of the Lombard Kingdom of northern Italy...
. A Frankish army under Winigis and Hildebrand, Duke of Spoleto, joined Grimoald and defeated Adelchis on the coast soon after his landing.
Later, Grimoald tried to throw off Frankish suzerainty, but Charlemagne's sons, Pepin of Italy and Charles the Younger, forced him to submit in 792.
Sources
- Gwatkin, H. M., Whitney, J. P. (edd.) The Cambridge Medieval History: Volume II—The Rise of the Saracens and the Foundations of the Western Empire. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1926.
- Oman, CharlesCharles OmanSir Charles William Chadwick Oman was a British military historian of the early 20th century. His reconstructions of medieval battles from the fragmentary and distorted accounts left by chroniclers were pioneering...
. The Dark Ages 476-918. London: Rivingtons, 1914. - Hodgkin, ThomasThomas Hodgkin (historian)Thomas Hodgkin , British historian, son of John Hodgkin , barrister and Quaker minister, and Elizabeth Howard ....
. Italy and her Invaders. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1895. - McKitterick, Rosamond. The Frankish Kingdoms under the Carolingians, 751–987. London: Longman, 1983. ISBN 0 582 49005 7.