Timeline Maps and images List of rulers
Timeline
This is a general timeline of the story so far in the podcast
410 – The visigoth King, Alaric, invades Italy and sacks rome
452 – Attilla the Hunn invades Italy and arrives in Pavia where he is convinced to turn back by pope Leo I
475 – Birth of Severinus Boethius
476 – End of the Western Roman Empire. Odoacer becomes “king” of Italy
480 – Cassiodorus is born in Squillace. Possible year of birth of St. Benedict
488 – King of the Ostrogoths Theodoric starts his long march west
489 – 28th August. Odoacer meets Thodroci along the banks of the Isonso and is defeated
30th august. The two armies meet again and Odoacer is again defeated
493 – Ravenna falls to the Ostogoth siege and Odoacer is killed along with his family and followers
493 – Theodoric completes the cinquest of Italy
500 – Theodoric visits Rome and published an edict with 144 articles
523 – Relationships between Theodoric, Boethius break down over Simmachus
524 – Justin’s edict against heresies
524 – Boethius executed
526 – Death of Theodoric
529 – The monastery at Montecassino is completed
535 – Amalasunta is killed by order of her cousin Theodahad
535 – the general Belisarius arrives in Sicily
539 – First Frankish invasion of Northern Italy
540 – Gregory the Great is born in Rome
554 – The emperor Justinian issues the Pragmatica sanzione giving the Italian bishops greater autonomy and administrative power
568 – Alboino’s Lombards enter Italy. Milan falls on 3rd September
572 – Pavia surrenders to the Lombardsl. In the same year Alboin is assassinated in a plot by his wife Rosamunda. Cleph is acclaimed king.
574 – First appearance of the Duchies
578 – The Dukes of Spoleto and Benevento lay siege to Rome, but are dissuaded by pope Pelagius’s offer of gold
590 – Gregory the great is elected pope
599 – Italy is divided into three spheres of influence: Lombards, Bizantines and Romans
604 – Death of Gregory the great
636 – 652 – Reign of Rotary
643 – Rotary publishes a civil and penal code in a 388 chapter edict
651 – Start of Arab expansion
663 – Constans II invades the Duchy of Benevento, but is beaten back
668 – Constans II dies in Sicily
712 – Liutprand becomes king of the Lombards
726 – Emperor Leo III issues his iconoclast edict
732 – Charles Martel defeats the Arabs at Poiters, halting their advance into Europe
739 – Liutprand takes 4 cities of the Roman Duchy, including Sutri
742 – The cities are given to the pope instead of to the Byzantine empire
744 – Death of Liuprand
751 – The Lombard king Aistulf takes Ravenna and the Pentapolis, putting and end to the Byzantine Exarcate
754 – Aistulf is defeated by the Franks in the Susa valley
756 – Aistulf dies in a hunting accident and is succeeded by Desiderius
757 – Pope Stephen II dies
768 – Pepin the short dies leaving the kingdom to his sons Charles and Carloman
774 – Charlemagne defeats king Desiderius, putting n end to the Lombard kingdom
795 – Pope Hadrian dies and pope Leo III is elected
800 – Charlemagne is crowned holy Roman emperor in Rome by pope Leo III
806 – Charlemagne divides up the empire among his sons
810 – Charlemagne’s son Pipin and king of Italy dies and his son Berengarius becomes king
814 – Charlemagne dies and his son Luis the Pious becomes emperor
819 – Berengarius is blinded and later dies
827 – The Arabs start the conquest of Sicily
843 – The treaty of Verdun divides up the empire between the sons of Luis the Pious. Lothar receives Italy
855 – Lothar dies, Luis II inherits Italy
875 – Charles the bald becomes emperor
879 – Charles the fat becomes king of Italy
888 – Charles the fat is deposed
893 – Arnulf of Carinthia enters Italy to aid Bernegarius, Marquis of Friuli and future king of Italy against Guido, Duke of Spoleto and king of Italy. Guido dies and is succeeded by his son Lamberto, who is then crowned king by pope Formusus
895 – Pope Formosus is imprisoned by Lamberto in Rome for seeking help from Arnulf of Carinthia against the Spoleto faction. Arnulf lays siege to Rome and frees the pope.
896 – Pope Formosus dies and the Spoleto faction elects Stephen IV
897 – Posthumous trial of Fromosus. Assassination of Stephen IV
898 – Pope John IX is elected. He rehabilitates Formosus
899 – Berengarius of Friuli is defeated by Hungarian mercenaries
904 – Sergius III is elected pope thanks to the Spoleto faction lead by Marozia, the new oboe’s lover
905 – Luis of Provence enters Italy, called by the nobles to depose Berengarius, but he is defeated by the latter.
914 – John X is elected pope and he crowns Berengarius emperor
924 – Beremgarius is assassinated in Verona
932 – Hugo of Provence is crowned king of Italy in Pavia and then enters Rome where he marries Marozia, widow of Albert of Spoleto and then Guido of Tuscany. Hugo is ousted by the son of Marozia, Albert of Rome who becomes lord of the city
936 – Otto I is crowned king of Germany
950 – Berengarius of Ivrea is crowned king of Italy along with his son Adalbert
951 – Otto I enters Italy and is crowned king
954 – Albert of Rome, son of Marozia dies. His son, Octavian becomes ruler of Rome and later pope.
962 – Otto I is crowned in Rome, the Germanic Holy Roman Empire is founded.
973 – Otto I dies
Reading list
Early middle ages
Teodorico il grande, (Theodoric the Great)
Collacci Antonio
Mursia , 2001
Easy to read and well narrated with good insight into the life of the king. It starts by giving some family background and moves into the period just after his death and up to the Byzantine invasion. A little more of a look into the life of Theodoric would have been interesting
Amalasunta, la Regina (Amalasuntha, The Queen)
Vito Antonio Sirago
Jaca Books, Milan, 1999
A nice, easy to read book that brings the character and value of an otherwise ignored historical figure. It shows that she wasn’t just a victim of circumstance, but a real player on the national and international scene, as well as showing her great human value.
L’Italia dei Barbari (Barbarian Italy)
Claudio Azzara
Il Mulino, Bologna, 2002
A light, easy to read, yet well-reesarched book that goes from the fall of the Roman Ampire to the defeat of the Lombards and the arrival of the Franks. A great book if you want to get a quick idea of the period from 467 to the end of the eight century
La guerra gotica (The Gothic War)
Procopius of Cesarea
Garzanti, Milan, 2005
A nice surprise. I picked it up imagining I would just leaf through to get some dates and info, ut ended up reading all 700 pages cover to cover in quite a short time. Full of interesting anecdotes as well as the story of the the 535 – 552 war. It is quite well balanced considering it was written by a member of the Byzantine contingent.
Totila L’immortale (Totila the immortal)
Dante Rossetto
Canova, Treviso, 1999
A book stuck between a history and a historical novel. Basically the biography of King Totila told from the point of view of his personal servant. It’s rather pro-goth, but interesting and informative, a good read.
Teodolinda, una regina per l’europa (Theodolina, a queen for Europe)
A biography of the Lombard queen that stretches back to the origins of her people and the conquest of Italy, before telling us about th Queen herself and the traces you can find of her in modern day Italy.
Andare per L’Italia Bizantina (Travelling around Byzantine Italy)
Giorgio Ravegnani
Il Mulino, Bologna 2016
A book for lovers of art and archeology about the traces of the Byzantines you can find in Italy today by region and city
Geschicte der Langobarden (History of the Lombards)
Jörg Jarnut
Verlag W Kohlhammer GmbH, Stuggart, Berlin, Koln, Mainz, 1982
A surprisingly fluid, informative, yet not too heavy read on a general history of the Lombards, focusing mainly on their presence in Italy
Italia Longobarda
Stefano Gasparri
Laterza, Rome – Bari 2012
A very detailed look at many different aspects of the Lombard reign in Italy, oarticukarly in the 8th century with a look at politics, economy and social groups. The book shows great depth of original source study and a view on a local and family level. Not an easy read, but precious if you really want to get to know the Lombards.
Storia dell’Italia medioevale
Paolo Cammarosano
La Terza Roma-Bari 2001
A book based more on social issues and ideas rather than a narrated, chronological history, but good for some insights into the economic and social situations in the early middle ages.
Early Medieval Italy, central power and local society 400-1000
Chris Wickam
Macmillan, London, 1981
A good book to get a general overview of Italy in this period, focusingocus on social and economic organisation, yet a little hard to follow when it comes to political history. A great integration to a more narrative text.
La vita quotidiana dei Longobardi ai tempi di re Rotari (Daily life of the Lombards in the age of king Rotari)
Dario Pedrazzini
Gabriele Angelini Editore, Imola, 2007
An interesting look into the daily life of the Lombards in the 7th century, from their diet and clothes to Religion and war tactics. A great read for those that like to know about the history of every-day life.
Storia dell’Italia medioevale (History of medieval Italy)
Ovidio Capitani
Gius, Laterza & Figli, 1986
A thorough look at political, social and economic aspects of medieval Italy from the fall of the empire to the 13th century. A very useful tool, yet little heavy reading.
Music
We use music from independent Italian singer/songwriters for the podcast and minidocs
Have a listen!
List of rulers
After the fall of the Empire
Odoacer (476 – 493)
Ostrogoth rulers
Theodoric (493 – 526)
Athalaric (526 – 534
Amalasuntha (534 – 535)
Theodahad (534 – 536)
Vitiges (536 – 540)
Ildibad (540 – 541)
Eraric (541)
Totila (541 – 552)
Teia (552)
Lombard rulers
Alboin (568 – 572)
Cleph (572 – 574)
Authari (584 – 590)
Agilulf (590 – 616)
Adaloald (616 – 626)
Arioald (626 – 636)
Rothari (636 – 652)
Rodoald (652 – 653)
Airport I (653 – 661)
Perctarit and Godeper (661 – 662)
Grimoald (662 – 671)
Garibald (671 – 672)
Perctarit 672 – 688)
Cunipert (688 – 700)
Liutpert (700 – 701)
Raginert (700 – 701)
Airport II (701 – 712)
Ansprand (712)
Liutprand (712 – 744)
Ildeprand (744)
Ratchis (744 – 749)
Aisulf (749 – 756)
Ratchis (756 – 757)
Desiderius (757 – 774)
Maps and images
The mountains and plains of Italy
Here you can see how most of Italy is mountainous except for the area of the Po river valley
Lombard and Byzantine Italy
Here you can see how Italy was divided at the time of the maximum Lombard expansion. Thanks to the students of Anna Bellini’s class for the map!
Lomabrd men and women at the time of king Rothari
Images by Christina Tisi from “La Vita Quotidiana dei Longobardi ai tempi di re Rotar” (Daily life of the Lombards at the time of king Rothari) by Dario Pedrazzini. Buy it on Amazon
