Grimoald I of Benevento
Encyclopedia
Grimoald I was duke of Benevento
(651–662) and king of the Lombards
(662–671).
Born probably before 610 to Duke Gisulf II of Friuli
and the Bavaria
n princess Ramhilde, daughter of Duke Garibald I of Bavaria
, he succeeded his brother Radoald
(646–651) as duke of Benevento. Before that, he was, along with Radoald, a regent
for their mentally incapable adoptive brother Aiulf I
from 642 to Radoald's succession. He married the princess Theodota, daughter of King Aripert I
. Their son was Garibald.
In 662, after being called to assist King Godepert
in a war with his brother King Perctarit
, Grimoald gave Benevento to his eldest son Romuald
(662–677) and, removing the fraternal impediments to his kingship with the aid of Duke Garibald of Turin, assassinated Godepert and forced Perctarit to flee. He sent Perctarit's wife and son
to Benevento and took over the kingship of the Lombards. It was then that he promptly married Godepert's sister in order to relate himself to the Bavarian Dynasty
of Theodelinda
.
His martial prowess and skill in the field of battle secured his victory in many border wars. He led his armies to victory personally against the Byzantines
under Emperor Constans II at the siege of Benevento, where they had been besieging the young Romuald, who betrothed his sister Gisa to Constans. Romuald then took Taranto
and Brindisi
, much limiting the Byzantine influence in the region during the rebellion of Mezezius
in Sicily
, which had distracted the Byzantines after Constans death. Grimoald himself took Forlì
, in the north, from the Greeks and razed Oderzo
(but did not take it), where his brothers
had been murdered years before. His capture of Forlì was shameful, however, for he took it on Easter Day, slaughtering worshippers during the festivities.
While he was combatting the Byzantines in the Mezzogiorno
, he left Duke Lupus of Friuli
as regent in the north. Lupus usurped all authority and rebelled, though he was crushed and with the help of the Avars
his duchy despoiled and devastated. Grimoald tracked down Lupus' aspiring son Arnefrit, and his Slav
allies, and defeated him at Nimis. Arnefrit died in battle. Grimoald placed Wechthari, a stalwart enemy of the Slavs, in Friuli
.
Grimoald defeated the Franks who invaded during the infancy of Chlothar III. Grimoald had allied with Perctarit, at Asti
and the Avars
, of whom he had been a hostage in his youth. He saved the northeast of Italy
by defeating the Slav tribes and maintained internal order by suppressing the baronial revolts and autonomy of the duchies of Friuli
and of Spoleto
, where he installed Thrasimund
.
In his religion he remained Arian
despite his marriage to a Catholic
and he was aloof of the Papacy. However, he perceived Saint Michael — whose cult was spreading strongly from Monte Gargano— as the warrior-protector of the Lombard nation.
He died in 671 after concluding a treaty with the Franks and was succeeded by Perctarit, whom he had exiled. He was a popular ruler, known as much for the kingly virtues of generosity and mercy as for his ferocity and ruthlessness in war. His son Romuald was left in Benevento, which once again drifted away from central authority, and his son Garibald was not elected to succeed him on account of his youth and was deposed by the adherents of Perctarit's cause in three months time.
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Benevento
Benevento is a town and comune of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, 50 km northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill 130 m above sea-level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino and Sabato...
(651–662) and king of the Lombards
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...
(662–671).
Born probably before 610 to Duke Gisulf II of Friuli
Gisulf II of Friuli
Gisulf II was the Duke of Friuli from around 591 to his death. He was the son and successor of Gisulf I.Gisulf and Gaidoald of Trent were at odds with King Agilulf until they made peace in 602 or 603. Gisulf also allied with the Avars to make war on Istria....
and the Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n princess Ramhilde, daughter of Duke Garibald I of Bavaria
Garibald I of Bavaria
Garibald I was Duke of Bavaria from 555 until 591. He stands at the head of the Agilolfings and the Bavarian Dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of the Lombards....
, he succeeded his brother Radoald
Radoald of Benevento
Radoald was the duke of Benevento from 646 to his death in 651. His elder brother, Aiulf was mentally unstable and Radoald and their younger brother Grimoald were regents. Radoald and Grimoald were brothers as younger sons of Gisulf II of Friuli...
(646–651) as duke of Benevento. Before that, he was, along with Radoald, a regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
for their mentally incapable adoptive brother Aiulf I
Aiulf I of Benevento
Aiulf I was the duke of Benevento from 641 to his death in 646 as the son and successor of Arechis I. However, he was mentally unstable and his adoptive brothers Radoald and Grimoald were regents for him. In 646, Slavic plunderers landed near Siponto on the Adriatic...
from 642 to Radoald's succession. He married the princess Theodota, daughter of King Aripert I
Aripert I
Aripert I was king of the Lombards in Italy. He was the son of Gundoald, duke of Asti, who had crossed the Alps from Bavaria with his sister Theodelinda. As a relative of the Bavarian ducal house, his was called the Bavarian Dynasty.He was the first Roman Catholic king of the Lombards, elected...
. Their son was Garibald.
In 662, after being called to assist King Godepert
Godepert
Godepert was king of the Lombards , eldest son and successor of Aripert I. He was an Arian who governed from the ancient capital, Pavia, while his brother, Perctarit, a Roman Catholic, governed from Milan...
in a war with his brother King Perctarit
Perctarit
Perctarit was king of the Lombards from 661 to 662 the first time and later from 671 to 688. He was the son and successor of Aripert I. He shared power with his brother Godepert. He was a Catholic, Godepert an Arian. He ruled from Milan, Godepert from Pavia...
, Grimoald gave Benevento to his eldest son Romuald
Romuald I of Benevento
Romuald I , duke of Benevento was the son of Grimoald, king of the Lombards. He received Benevento when his father usurped the throne in 662. Grimoald sent the deposed king Perctarit's wife Rodelinde and son Cunincpert to the court of his son in Benevento.Romuald betrothed his sister Gisa to...
(662–677) and, removing the fraternal impediments to his kingship with the aid of Duke Garibald of Turin, assassinated Godepert and forced Perctarit to flee. He sent Perctarit's wife and son
Cunipert
Cunipert was king of the Lombards from 688 to 700. He succeeded his father Perctarit, though he was associated with the throne from 678....
to Benevento and took over the kingship of the Lombards. It was then that he promptly married Godepert's sister in order to relate himself to the Bavarian Dynasty
Bavarian Dynasty
The Bavarian dynasty was those kings of the Lombards who were descended from Garibald I, the Agilolfing duke of Bavaria. They came to rule the Lombards through Garibald's daughter Theodelinda, who married the Lombard king Authari in 588...
of Theodelinda
Theodelinda
Theodelinda, queen of the Lombards, was the daughter of duke Garibald I of Bavaria.She was married first in 588 to Authari, king of the Lombards, son of king Cleph. Authari died in 590. Theodelinda was allowed to pick Agilulf as her next husband and Authari's successor in 591...
.
His martial prowess and skill in the field of battle secured his victory in many border wars. He led his armies to victory personally against 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...
under Emperor Constans II at the siege of Benevento, where they had been besieging the young Romuald, who betrothed his sister Gisa to Constans. Romuald then took Taranto
Taranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
and Brindisi
Brindisi
Brindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city...
, much limiting the Byzantine influence in the region during the rebellion of Mezezius
Mezezius
Mezezius was an Armenian noble who served as a general of Byzantium, later usurping the Byzantine throne in Sicily from 668 to 669.According to a letter from Pope Gregory II to Emperor Leo III, he was Count of the Opsikion, the imperial retinue , and a later Syriac chronicle describes him as a...
in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, which had distracted the Byzantines after Constans death. Grimoald himself took Forlì
Forlì
Forlì is a comune and city in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the right of the Montone river, and is an important agricultural centre...
, in the north, from the Greeks and razed Oderzo
Oderzo
Oderzo is a town and comune in the province of Treviso, Veneto, northern Italy.It lies in the heart of the Venetian plain, about 66 km to the northeast of Venice...
(but did not take it), where his brothers
Tasso of Friuli
Tasso was the joint Duke of Friuli with his younger brother Kakko from their father's death to their own. Their father was Gisulf II. In or around 611, Gisulf was killed fending off an Avar invasion....
had been murdered years before. His capture of Forlì was shameful, however, for he took it on Easter Day, slaughtering worshippers during the festivities.
While he was combatting the Byzantines in the Mezzogiorno
Mezzogiorno
The Midday is a wide definition, without any administrative usage, used to indicate the southern half of the Italian state, encompassing the southern section of the continental Italian Peninsula and the two major islands of Sicily and Sardinia, in addition to a large number of minor islands...
, he left Duke Lupus of Friuli
Lupus of Friuli
Lupus was the Duke of Friuli from between 660 and 663 to his death around 666.Immediately after succeeded to Friuli, Lupus invaded Grado with a body of cavalry and plundered the city, then proceeding to Aquileia, where he stole the treasures of the Patriarchate.When King Grimoald went south to...
as regent in the north. Lupus usurped all authority and rebelled, though he was crushed and with the help of the Avars
Eurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
his duchy despoiled and devastated. Grimoald tracked down Lupus' aspiring son Arnefrit, and his Slav
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
allies, and defeated him at Nimis. Arnefrit died in battle. Grimoald placed Wechthari, a stalwart enemy of the Slavs, in Friuli
Friuli
Friuli is an area of northeastern Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, i.e. the province of Udine, Pordenone, Gorizia, excluding Trieste...
.
Grimoald defeated the Franks who invaded during the infancy of Chlothar III. Grimoald had allied with Perctarit, at Asti
Asti
Asti is a city and comune of about 75,000 inhabitants located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about 55 kilometres east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River...
and the Avars
Eurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
, of whom he had been a hostage in his youth. He saved the northeast of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
by defeating the Slav tribes and maintained internal order by suppressing the baronial revolts and autonomy of the duchies of Friuli
Friuli
Friuli is an area of northeastern Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, i.e. the province of Udine, Pordenone, Gorizia, excluding Trieste...
and of Spoleto
Duchy of Spoleto
The independent Duchy of Spoleto was a Lombard territory founded about 570 in central Italy by the Lombard dux Faroald.- Lombards :The Lombards, a Germanic people, had invaded Italy in 568 and conquered much of it, establishing a Kingdom divided between several dukes dependent on the King, who had...
, where he installed Thrasimund
Thrasimund I of Spoleto
Thrasimund I or Transamund I was the Count of Capua and then Duke of Spoleto , a faithful follower of Grimoald I of Benevento....
.
In his religion he remained Arian
Arianism
Arianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius , a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities of the Trinity and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the Father...
despite his marriage to a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
and he was aloof of the Papacy. However, he perceived Saint Michael — whose cult was spreading strongly from Monte Gargano— as the warrior-protector of the Lombard nation.
He died in 671 after concluding a treaty with the Franks and was succeeded by Perctarit, whom he had exiled. He was a popular ruler, known as much for the kingly virtues of generosity and mercy as for his ferocity and ruthlessness in war. His son Romuald was left in Benevento, which once again drifted away from central authority, and his son Garibald was not elected to succeed him on account of his youth and was deposed by the adherents of Perctarit's cause in three months time.
Sources
- Gwatkin, H. M., Whitney, J. P. (ed) The Cambridge Medieval History: Volume II—The Rise of the Saracens and the Foundations of the Western Empire. Cambridge University PressCambridge University PressCambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, 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. LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 1914.
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