Grimoald or Grimwald (c. 610 – 671) was a 7th-century

King of Italy King of Italy ( it, links=no, Re d'Italia; la, links=no, Rex Italiae) was the title given to the ruler of the Kingdom of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The first to take the title was Odoacer, a barbarian military leader, ...

, ruling as Duke of

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 t ...

from 647 to 662, and then as 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 662 until his death in 671. Chris Wickham, ''Early Medieval Italy: Central Power and Local Society, 400–1000'' (London: Macmillan, 1981), 224–25.

Life

Grimoald was born in 610 A.D. as the heir of Duke Gisulf II of Friuli and the Bavarian Princess Ramhilde, daughter of Duke Garibald I of Bavaria. From 641 to 642, he and his brother Radoald served as

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state ''pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy, ...

s to Duke Aiulf I, their adoptive brother. In 647, Grimoald succeeded Radoald as Duke of Benevento.Andrea Bedina, "Grimoaldo, re dei Longobardi", ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'', 59 (Rome: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2003). In 662, he assassinated King Godepert and proclaimed himself King of the Lombards. He married Princess Theodota, daughter of King

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 ...

Reign

Grimoald passed on the title of Duke of Benevento to his eldest son

Romuald Romuald ( la, Romualdus; 951 – traditionally 19 June, c. 1025/27 AD) was the founder of the Camaldolese order and a major figure in the eleventh-century "Renaissance of eremitical asceticism".John Howe, "The Awesome Hermit: The Symbolic ...

in 662, following a call to assist King Godepert in a war with his brother King

Perctarit Perctarit (also Berthari) (died 688) 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, whereas Godepert was ...

. With the aid of Garibald, Duke of Turin, Grimoald assassinated Godepert and forced Perctarit to flee. Grimoald sent Perctarit's wife and son to Benevento and took over as King of the Lombards. He promptly married Godepert's sister Theodota, in order to associate himself with the Bavarian Dynasty of

Theodelinda Theodelinda also spelled ''Theudelinde'' ( 570–628 AD), was a queen of the Lombards by marriage to two consecutive Lombard rulers, Autari and then Agilulf, and regent of Lombardia during the minority of her son Adaloald, and co-regent when h ...

. His skill in battle secured victories in many border wars. He personally led his armies to victory against the Byzantines ''(under Emperor Constans II)'' at the siege of Benevento. Romuald took

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label=Tarantino dialect, Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an ...

and Brindisi, thus reducing the Byzantine influence in the region during Mezezius' rebellion in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. Grimoald took

Forlì Forlì ( , ; rgn, Furlè ; la, Forum Livii) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. It is the central city of Romagna. The city is situated along the Via Em ...

in the north from the Greeks and razed

Oderzo Oderzo ( la, Opitergium; vec, Oderso) is a ''comune'' with a population of 20,003 in the province of Treviso, Veneto, northern Italy. It lies in the heart of the Venetian plain, about to the northeast of Venice. Oderzo is crossed by the Montican ...

where his brother had been murdered years before. His capture of Forlì on Easter Day was polarizing between Orthodox Christians and Pagan Longobard traditionalists, as many Christians were slaughtered during festivities. While battling the Byzantines in

Southern Italy Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half. The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...

, he appointed Duke Lupus of Friuli as Regent in the North. Soon after, Lupus usurped all authority and rebelled; Lupus's forces were promptly defeated, he was killed, and his duchy destroyed with the help of the Avars. Grimoald tracked down Lupus' aspiring son

Arnefrit Arnefrit, Arnefrid, Amefrit, or Amefrith was the son of Lupus of Friuli who claimed the Duchy of Friuli after his father's death in 666. Lupus had been killed by the Avars, who had taken Cividale, seat of the duchy. Thus, King Grimoald had come ...

and his Slavic allies, defeating them at Nimis. Arnefrit was killed in battle. Grimoald placed

Wechthari Wechtar (or Wechthari), a Lombard from Vicenza, was the Duke of Friuli from 666 to 678. He took control of Friuli at the command of King Grimoald following the rebellion of Lupus and Arnefrit and the invasion of the Avars. According to Paul the ...

, a stalwart enemy of the Slavs, in

Friuli Friuli ( fur, Friûl, sl, Furlanija, german: Friaul) is an area of Northeast Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity containing 1,000,000 Friulians. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli Venezia Giul ...

. Grimoald defeated the Franks, who invaded during the infancy of Chlothar III. Grimoald had allied with Perctarit at

Asti Asti ( , , ; pms, Ast ) is a '' comune'' of 74,348 inhabitants (1-1-2021) located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and it is deeme ...

and the Avars, of whom he had been a hostage in his youth. He saved the northeast of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

by defeating the Slav tribes and maintained internal order by suppressing the baronial revolts and autonomy of the duchies of

and of

Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; la, Spoletum) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome. History Sp ...

, where he installed Thrasimund. In his religion, he remained nominally

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 G ...

(though according to Vita Sancti Barbati both he and his son Romuald still practiced the ancient Pagan rights of both Benevento and the Longobard nation) despite his marriage to a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

. He distanced himself from the

Papacy 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 ...

. However, he perceived

Saint Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

—whose cult was spreading strongly from Monte Gargano—as the warrior-protector of the Lombard nation, replacing Wodan ( Odin) due to their similar narratives at the time. He died in 671 after concluding a

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal perso ...

with the Franks. His son Garibald was not elected to succeed him on account of his youth and was then deposed by the once exiled Perctarit in three months time. Grimoald was popular for his generosity and mercy, as well as his ruthlessness in war. His son

was left in Benevento, which once again drifted away from the central authority.

Life

Reign

References

Further reading