Lombards

The Lombards, or Longobards, were a Germanic people who migrated from northern Europe and established a kingdom in Italy in the late 6th century. In 568, under King Alboin, they crossed the Alps and founded the Kingdom of the Lombards, with its capital at Ticinum, known today as Pavia. At their height they controlled much of northern Italy, including the Po Valley and parts of central Italy, with later Lombard power extending into the central and southern regions such as the duchies of Spoleto and Benevento.

Origins and society: The Lombards originated in the wider Germanic world, with traditions that linked them to populations in what is now Scandinavia and Central Europe. They ruled a realm that combined their Germanic leadership with a substantial Roman population and a long-standing Roman administrative influence. The church played a central role in governance and diplomacy, especially as relations with the Papacy and the Byzantine Empire evolved.

Law and religion: The Lombards developed codified law, notably the Edictum Rothari (643), which blended Germanic custom with Roman legal concepts. Religiously, they were initially Arians, but Catholicism became dominant by the 7th and 8th centuries through royal and ecclesiastical efforts and political necessity.

End and legacy: The Lombard kingdom endured until 774, when Charlemagne defeated Desiderius and the realm was incorporated into the Frankish Empire. The successor political order contributed to the emergence of the Papal States, reinforced by the Donation of Pepin. The term Lombardy survives in the modern Italian region name, and the Lombard language and culture left a lasting imprint on medieval northern Italy.