Lombards

Quick Facts: Who was Lombards?

Subject:

Lombards

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Germanic people who conquered much of Italy between 568 and 774 AD.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Lombards, Longobards or Langobards (Latin: Langobardi) were a Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774 AD. They had previously settled in the Middle Danube in the 5th century, near what is now Austria, Slovenia and Hungary. Still earlier they lived further north, near present day Hamburg. Roman-era historians in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD mention the Lombards as one of the Suebian peoples, and report them living on the Lower Elbe in the early 1st century. Their legacy is apparent in Lombardy, northern Italy, the region deriving its name from them.

Career & Major Achievements

Apart from a single mention in the Cosmographia of Julius Honorius, there are no contemporary accounts of the Lombards in the 3rd or 4th century. They reappear in historical records living near the Danube river in the late 5th century. Legendary accounts of the Lombard migration are found in several early medieval texts, the oldest being the Origo Gentis Langobardorum (Origin of the Lombard People). There are two other notable later adaptions, the Chronicon Gothanum and the more scholarly History of the Lombards by Paul the Deacon, written between 787 and 796 AD, which contain more information. All three describe the Lombards as a people who moved to the Danube from somewhere near the North Sea.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The details, however, differ until they enter "Rugiland" soon after Odoacer's defeat in 487/488 AD of the Rugii, who had a kingdom near what is now Vienna. In the Danube region, the Lombards came into conflict with other barbarian kingdoms, starting with the Heruls, neighbours of the Rugii, and culminating with their defeat of the Gepids. The Lombard king Audoin settled his people further south in Pannonia, in modern-day Hungary, and defeated the Gepid leader Thurisind in 551 or 552 AD. Audoin's successor Alboin eventually destroyed the Gepid kingdom in 567 AD. Near Szólád, archaeologists have unearthed burial sites of Lombard men and women being buried together as families, unusual among Germanic peoples at the time.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Lombards

True or False: “The Lombards were consistently referred to by Roman historians as the Suebian peoples throughout their entire documented history.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While early records mention them near Suebian groups, they are later described in distinct contexts, particularly after settling near the Danube river.

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