Lethings
Encyclopedia
The Lethings were a dynasty of Lombard
kings ruling in the 5th and 6th centuries until 546. They were the first Lombard royal dynasty and represent the emergence of the Lombard rulership out of obscurity and into history.
The Lethings were elected by an assembly of warriors. They took their dynastic name from Lethuc, the first known Lombard king. When Lethuc died and was replaced by Aldihoc, the Lombards took a step towards institutional stability. Under the Lethings, too, the Lombards, who had thitherto wandered around northern Europe, migrated south to the Danube
and Pannonia
. In 510, the reigning Lething, Tato
, was displaced by his nephew, Wacho
, and thereafter until 546 a cadet branch of the original house ruled. Under the last dynasts, the Lombards became a power in terms of their threat to the Byzantine Empire
on par with the Ostrogoths and Franks
.
The Lething were displaced when the child ruler Walthari was killed by his regent, Audoin
, who then assumed the throne, inaugurating the Gausi dynasty. The Lething lineage did no die out, however, as Waldrada, a daughter of Wacho, had married Garibald I of Bavaria
, and fostered a daughter, Theodelinda
, who married Authari
and became Queen of the Lombards. Her descendents were the Bavarian dynasty
, a cadet branch of the Agilolfings
, themselves Frankish.
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...
kings ruling in the 5th and 6th centuries until 546. They were the first Lombard royal dynasty and represent the emergence of the Lombard rulership out of obscurity and into history.
The Lethings were elected by an assembly of warriors. They took their dynastic name from Lethuc, the first known Lombard king. When Lethuc died and was replaced by Aldihoc, the Lombards took a step towards institutional stability. Under the Lethings, too, the Lombards, who had thitherto wandered around northern Europe, migrated south to the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
and Pannonia
Pannonia
Pannonia was an ancient province of the Roman Empire bounded north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia....
. In 510, the reigning Lething, Tato
Tato
Tato an early 6th century and was a king of the Lombards. He was the son of Claffo and a king of the Lething Dynasty.According to Procopius the Lombards were subject to the Heruli at this time and paid tribute. In 508 he fought with king Rodolph of the Heruli who was slain. It was a devastating...
, was displaced by his nephew, Wacho
Wacho
Wacho was king of the Lombards before they entered Italy from an unknown date until his death in 539. His father was Unichis. Wacho usurped the throne by assassinating his uncle, King Tato . Tato's son Ildchis fought with him and fled to the Gepids where he died...
, and thereafter until 546 a cadet branch of the original house ruled. Under the last dynasts, the Lombards became a power in terms of their threat to the Byzantine Empire
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...
on par with the Ostrogoths and Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
.
The Lething were displaced when the child ruler Walthari was killed by his regent, Audoin
Audoin
Alduin, Auduin, or Audoin was king of the Lombards from 546 to 560. The Lombards became, under him, fœderati of the Byzantines , signing a treaty with Justinian I which gave them power in Pannonia and the north. Beginning in 551, he was obliged to send troops to serve Narses in Italy against the...
, who then assumed the throne, inaugurating the Gausi dynasty. The Lething lineage did no die out, however, as Waldrada, a daughter of Wacho, had married 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....
, and fostered a daughter, 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...
, who married Authari
Authari
Authari also known as Agilolf, was king of the Lombards from 584 to his death. After his father, Cleph, died in 574, the Lombardic nobility refused to appoint a successor, resulting in ten years interregnum known as the Rule of the Dukes.In 574 and 575 the Lombards made the blunder of invading...
and became Queen of the Lombards. Her descendents were 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...
, a cadet branch of the Agilolfings
Agilolfings
The Agilolfings were a family of either Frankish or Bavarian nobility that ruled the Duchy of Bavaria on behalf of their Merovingian suzerains from about 550 until 788...
, themselves Frankish.
Sources
- Jarnut, Jörg. Storia dei Longobardi. Turin: Einaudi, 2002.
- Rovagnati, Sergio. I Longobardi. Milan: Xenia, 2003.