Agilulf
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| Agilulf | |
|---|---|
lamellar helmet depicting the coronation of King Agilulf, found at Valdinievole,[1] now in the Bargello National Museum, Florence. | |
| Reign | 590-616 |
| Predecessor | Authari |
| Successor | Adaloald |
| Born | c. 555 |
| Died | April 616 Milan, Neustria Lombard Kingdom |
| Spouse | Theodelinda |
| Issue | Adaloald Gundeberga |
| Religion | Arianism |
Agilulf (c. 555 – April 616), called the Thuringian and nicknamed Ago, was a
duke of Turin and king of the Lombards
from 591 until his death.
A relative of his predecessor
Thuringians who had joined the Lombards when their kingdom fell to the Franks in 531.[2][3] He was selected king on the advice of the Christian queen and widow of Authari, Theodelinda, whom he then married. Although he assumed the royal dignity at the beginning of November 590, he was raised on the shield—the ceremonial investment of his title—by Lombard warriors in Milan in May 591.[4]
He was
Iron Crown of Lombardy is still preserved and where Agilulf's crown, dedicated to St John
, existed (now lost) bearing the inscription rex totius Italiae, meaning "king of all Italy", as Agilulf evidently saw himself.
His long reign was marked by the cessation of war with
Byzantine emperor Phocas lost Padua, which Authari had cut off from Ravenna a decade prior. The loss of Padua in turn cut off Mantua
and, before the year was out, that city too fell to Agilulf.
In 605, he was recognized by the emperor Phocas, who paid a tribute and ceded
Clotaire II of Neustria, and Agilulf. Theuderic's grandmother, Brunhilda of Austrasia, and sister had murdered Theuderic's wife Ermenberga, the daughter of Witteric. The alliance does not seem to have had success. Nothing of any actual combat is known except that it took place, probably around Narbonne. He had to put down some insurrections and the Avars did not desist from invading Friuli, where they slew its duke, Gisulf, in 610. Otherwise, his reign ended peacefully and he died in 616, after reigning for more than a quarter of a century. He was succeeded by Adaloald, his son by Theodelinda, who was still an adolescent, though he had been associated with the throne. He had a daughter Gundeberga who married Arioald who later became king.[6]
Notes
- ^ Buccellati, Graziella (1999). The Iron Crown and Imperial Europe. Milan.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ISBN 8817168246.
- ^ Gasparri, Stefano (1978). I duchi longobardi. Ist. Storico per il Medio Evo. p. 17.
- ^ Paul the Deacon, History of the Lombards 3.35; translated by William Dudley Foulke, 1907 (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 1974), pp.148-150
- ^ Paul the Deacon, History, 4.20; translated by Foulke, p. 165
- ^ "Lombard Kings". GermanTribes.org. Archived from the original on 2010-07-18. Retrieved 2010-07-18.