RatchisAlso spelled ''Rachis'', ''Raditschs'', ''Radics'', ''Radiks''. (died after 757) was the

Duke of Friuli The dukes and margraves of Friuli were the rulers of the Duchy and March of Friuli in the Middle Ages. The dates given below, when contentious, are discussed in the articles of the respective dukes. Lombard dukes * 568–c.584 Grasulf I ...

(739–744) and then King of the Lombards (744–749). Ratchis was the son of Duke

Pemmo of Friuli Pemmo (or Penno) was the Duke of Friuli for twenty-six years, from about 705 to his death. He was the son of Billo of Belluno. Pemmo came to the duchy at a time when a recent civil war had ravaged the land. Pemmo raised all the children of the many ...

and the nephew of the Lombard king Liutprand, who, despite his history of strife with Pemmo, appointed Ratchis to succeed his father in 737. Ratchis was married to a Roman woman named Tassia. During his rule of Friuli, he launched an expedition against the Slavs in

Carniola Carniola ( sl, Kranjska; , german: Krain; it, Carniola; hu, Krajna) is a historical region that comprised parts of present-day Slovenia. Although as a whole it does not exist anymore, Slovenes living within the former borders of the region st ...

, across the Eastern Alps, fighting in person during the battles. He became king of the Lombards in 744, after the deposition of

Hildeprand Hildeprand (died after 744), sometimes called the Useless, was the king of the Lombards from around 735 in association with his uncle, Liutprand. After Liutprand's death in 744, Hildeprand ruled in his own name until he was overthrown later that y ...

, most likely with the support of the more autonomous Lombard dukes. Ratchis ruled initially in peace, in particular with the neighboring

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...

-ruled

exarchate of Ravenna The Exarchate of Ravenna ( la, Exarchatus Ravennatis; el, Εξαρχάτο της Ραβέννας) or of Italy was a lordship of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) in Italy, from 584 to 751, when the last exarch was put to death by the ...

. However, perhaps pushed by more traditional parties among his followers, in 749 he invaded the Duchy of the Pentapolis and besieged

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and par ...

. Pope Zachary convinced him to lift the siege, but this further reduced his prestige among the dukes, who deposed him later year at an assembly in

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

. His brother Aistulf succeeded him. Ratchis initially tried to raise opposition to the assembly's decision, but soon was forced to take refuge in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. He later entered the abbey of Montecassino with his family. After the death of Aistulf in 756, Ratchis sought to be restored to the throne. He was able to gain control of the royal palace in

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 cap ...

with the support of several Lombard nobles, but was defeated by the duke of Tuscany, Desiderius, who had the support of

Pope Stephen II Pope Stephen II ( la, Stephanus II; 714 – 26 April 757) was born a Roman aristocrat and member of the Orsini family. Stephen was the bishop of Rome from 26 March 752 to his death. Stephen II marks the historical delineation between the Byzant ...

and the Frankish king Pepin the Short. In 757, Ratchis retired again to a monastery, either Montecassino or Cervaro.

Notes

Sources

* Paul the Deacon, ''

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 n ...

'' ''Storia dei Longobardi''; introduzione di Claudio Leonardi; apparati critici e iconografici a cura di Roberto Cassanelli. Milan: Electa, 1985 (Latin & Italian) * Jörg Jarnut, ''Storia dei Longobardi'', Turin: Einaudi, 2002 * Sergio Rovagnati, ''I Longobardi'', Milan: Xenia, 2003 , -
{{Authority control 8th-century Lombard monarchs Dukes of Friuli Lombard warriors Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown