Lombardness and the Fall of Pavia. An analysis of the depiction of the first and last Lombard kings in Italy, Alboin and Desiderius in Lombard, Papal and Frankish historiography after the Fall of Pavia (774 AD).
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2017-06-15
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en
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In 774 AD, the Lombard kingdom was captured by the Carolingians after the fall of the Lombard capital: Pavia. The Carolingian conquest was the climax of several decades of animosity between the Pope and the Franks on one side, and the Lombards on the other. This thesis focuses on the way these Lombards are depicted in Frankish, Papal and Lombard historiography written after the conquest, by looking specifically at the depiction of the first and the last Lombard king in Italy: respectively Alboin (r. 560-572) and Desiderius (r. 752-774). The thesis will argue that Desiderius was depicted as an anti-Christian king in Frankish and Papal historiography, who threatened the pope and the city of Rome. In response, the Lombard authors idealized the Christian nature of king Alboin, who brought the Lombards to their ‘salvation’ in Italy.
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Faculteit der Letteren