Duchy of the Pentapolis
| Duchy of the Pentapolis Ducatus Pentapolis Δουκάτον Πενταπόλεως | |
|---|---|
| Duchy of the Byzantine Empire | |
| 7th century – c. 752 | |
 The Pentapolis on the Adriatic was part of the Exarchate of Ravenna, an administrative unit of the Byzantine Empire. Red dots indicate the Pentapolis, orange other cities of the Exarchate. | |
| Capital | Rimini |
| Historical era | Middle Ages |
• Establishment | 7th century |
| c. 752 | |
| Today part of | Italy |
In the
The Pentapolis was one of the more commercially vibrant parts of
In 738, the Lombard king Liutprand marched through the Pentapolis on his way to Spoleto, and during his transit was attacked by a group of "Spoletans" (Lombards from central Italy) and "Romans" (local Pentapolitans). The locals may have been incited to this alliance against Liutprand by the exarch, Eutychius, who may have had a deal with the duke of Spoleto, Transamund II.[5] The Pentapolitans were not traditionally on good terms with either the Byzantines, whom Liutprand fought in 728–729, or the exarch in Ravenna, whom Liutprand also fought frequently, but they were unlikely to regard Lombard incursions in their region as a liberation.[6] Liutprand attacked Ravenna and Cesena on the via Aemilia in 743, probably with the goal of controlling a passage through Byzantine territory to Spoleto. His successor, Ratchis, attacked several cities in the Pentapolis and Perugia in 749, before retiring to become a monk.[7] By 752, the Pentapolis was conquered by King Aistulf of the Lombards.[8]
In 754, Pepin the Short crossed the Alps, defeated Aistulf, and gave to the pope the lands which Aistulf had torn from the ducatus Romanus (Duchy of Rome) and the exarchate (including the Pentapolis).[9]
References
- ^ Hallenbeck 1982, p. 7.
- ^ Hutton & Sund 1913, p. 119.
- ^ Noble 1984, pp. 3–5.
- ^ Liber pontificalis, a collection of papal biographies; the Chronicon Venetum of John the Deacon, a Venetian historian; the Historia Langobardorum of Paul the Deacon; and the much later Chronicon of the northern European historian Regino of Prüm.
- ^ Noble 1984, p. 44.
- ^ Noble 1984, p. 35.
- ^ Noble 1984, pp. 56–58.
- ^ Noble 1984, p. 71.
- ^ Kampers 1911.
Sources
- Hallenbeck, Jan T. (1982). "Pavia and Rome: The Lombard Monarchy and the Papacy in the Eighth Century". Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. 72 (4). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 1–186. JSTOR 1006429.
- Hutton, Edward; Sund, Harald (1913). Ravenna: A Study. London, United Kingdom and Toronto, Canada: J. M. Dent and Sons Ltd.
- Kampers, Franz (1911). "Pepin the Short". Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
- Noble, Thomas F. X. (1984). The Republic of St. Peter: The Birth of the Papal State, 680–825. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0-8122-1239-8.
Further reading
- Diehl, Charles (1888). Études sur l'administration byzantine dans l'Exarchat de Ravenne (568–751). Vol. 53. Paris, France: Bibliothèque des écoles françaises d'Athènes et de Rome.
- Paul the Deacon; Foulke, William Dudley (trans.) (1974) [1907]. The History of the Langobards (PDF). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania.
