Perctarit (also Berthari) (died 688) was king of the

Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...

from 661 to 662 the first time and later from 671 to 688. He was the son and successor of

Aripert I Aripert I (also spelled ''Aribert'') was king of the Lombards (653–661) 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 c ...

. He shared power with his brother Godepert. He was a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, whereas Godepert was an

Arian Arianism ( grc-x-koine, Ἀρειανισμός, ) is a Christological doctrine first attributed to Arius (), a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt. Arian theology holds that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was begotten by God ...

. He ruled from

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

, Godepert from

Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the ...

. Godepert called for the aid of Duke

Grimoald I of Benevento Grimoald or Grimwald (c. 610 – 671) was a 7th-century King of Italy, ruling as Duke of Benevento from 647 to 662, and then as King of the Lombards from 662 until his death in 671. Chris Wickham, ''Early Medieval Italy: Central Power and Local ...

in a war with Perctarit, but the Beneventan had him assassinated and took control of the kingdom, forcing Perctarit to flee. Perctarit first arrived at the court of the Avar

khagan Khagan or Qaghan (Mongolian:; or ''Khagan''; otk, 𐰴𐰍𐰣 ), or , tr, Kağan or ; ug, قاغان, Qaghan, Mongolian Script: ; or ; fa, خاقان ''Khāqān'', alternatively spelled Kağan, Kagan, Khaghan, Kaghan, Khakan, Khakhan ...

Kakar. Meanwhile, his wife, Rodelinde, and their son Cunincpert were captured by Grimoald and sent to

Benevento Benevento (, , ; la, Beneventum) is a city and '' comune'' of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the ...

. Perctarit returned soon thereafter to conspire against Grimoald, but fled again to

Francia Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks du ...

. When Grimoald concluded a treaty with the Franks, Perctarit prepared to flee to Britain, but news of Grimoald's death reached him first. In 671, Perctarit returned from exile and reclaimed his realm, which was being ruled on behalf of Grimoald's son Garibald. He made Catholicism the official religion, but did not recognise

papal The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

authority. He made peace with the Byzantines and associated Cunincpert with the throne in 678. He sought to put down the rebellion of Alagis,

duke of Trent The Duchy of Tridentum (Trent) was an autonomous Lombard duchy, established by Euin during the Lombard interregnum of 574–584 that followed the assassination of the Lombard leader Alboin. The stronghold of Euin's territory was the Roman cit ...

. It was to be his only campaign; he captured the duke, then pardoned and released him. Perctarit was assassinated in 688 by a

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agr ...

. His daughter Wigilinda married Duke

Grimoald II of Benevento Grimoald II (died 689) was the duke of Benevento from 687 to his death.Chris Wickham (1981). ''Early Medieval Italy: Central Power and Local Society, 400–1000''. London: Macmillan. p. 225.Martha Ross, Charles Geoffrey Allen (1978)''Rulers an ...

, son of

Romuald I of Benevento Romuald I (also spelled ''Romoald'' and in Italian ''Romualdo''), duke of Benevento (662–687) was the son of Grimoald, king of the Lombards. When his father usurped the throne in 662, he left Benevento under RomualdChris Wickham, ''Early Medie ...

. Perctarit's reign is not noted for its military accomplishments, but for his religious endowments. He built the churches of Saint Agatha and the Virgin (outside the walls) at

. He was succeeded by his more warlike son, who was to fight to no avail against the man his father had caught and let go. Perctarit and Rodelinde themselves were to live on in opera as the Bertarido and Rodelinda of

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

's '' Rodelinda, Regina de' Longobardi'', though not much of their actual history survived in Nicola Francesco Haym's libretto, drawn more from

Pierre Corneille Pierre Corneille (; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. As a young man, he earned the valuable patron ...

's Pertharite than from

Historia Langobardorum The ''History of the Lombards'' or the ''History of the Langobards'' ( la, Historia Langobardorum) is the chief work by Paul the Deacon, written in the late 8th century. This incomplete history in six books was written after 787 and at any rate ...

He was buried in the

Basilica of Santissimo Salvatore The Basilica of Santissimo Salvatore is a Roman Catholic church in Pavia, region of Lombardy, Italy. It was founded in 657 by the Lombard king Aripert I and became a mausoleum for many of the Lombard kings. History The first documentation re ...

in Pavia.

References

Notes

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perctarit 688 deaths 7th-century Lombard monarchs Lombard warriors Bavarian dynasty Year of birth unknown