Lombards

In this episode, we explore the Lombards, a Germanic people whose long migration across Europe culminated in the conquest of much of Italy beginning in 568. We trace the rise of the Lombard Kingdom, their powerful duchies, and their gradual integration with the Italo-Roman population as they moved from paganism and Arian Christianity toward Catholicism. The episode examines Lombard society, warfare, law, and culture, as well as their conflicts with the Byzantine Empire, the papacy, and the Franks. We conclude with Charlemagne’s conquest of the northern kingdom in 774 and the survival of Lombard principalities in southern Italy until the Norman conquests, leaving a lasting legacy in medieval Italy and the region of Lombardy.