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| Agilulf | |
|---|---|
| King of the Lombards | |
 Woodcut vignette of Agilulf in the 1493Nuremberg Chronicle | |
| Reign | 590–616 |
| Predecessor | Authari |
| Successor | Adaloald |
| Born | c. 555 |
| Died | April 616 Milan,Neustria Lombard Kingdom |
| Spouse | Theodelinda |
| Issue | Adaloald Gundeberga |
| Religion | Arianism |
Agilulf (c. 555 – April 616), also known asthe Thuringian, was aDuke of Turin and king of theLombards from 591 until his death. A relative of his predecessorAuthari, Agilulf was ofThuringian origin and belonged to the Anawas clan.
He is sometimes referred to asdux Turingorum de Taurinis, suggesting that he was a prominent leader among theThuringians who had joined the Lombards following the fall of their kingdom to theFranks in 531.[1][2]
Agilulf was chosen as king on the advice ofTheodelinda, the Christian queen and widow of Authari, whom he subsequently married. Although he assumed the royal title in November 590, his formal investiture—being raised on a shield by Lombard warriors—took place inMilan in May 591.[4]
He wasbaptized to appease his wife, and the nation followed suit—though initially adopting theArian rather than the Roman Catholic faith. In 603, under Theodelinda's influence, Agilulf converted to Catholicism and had his son,Adaloald, baptized in the same rite. Together, Agilulf and Theodelinda built and endowed theCathedral of Monza, where theIron Crown of Lombardy is still preserved. Agilulf's own crown, now lost, was also kept there; it was dedicated toSt John and inscribed withrex totius Italiae ("king of all Italy"), reflecting how Agilulf evidently regarded his authority.
Agilulf's long reign was marked by the cessation of hostilities withFrancia following the death of its chief peacemaker,Guntram,King of Burgundy, in 592. Without Guntram's moderating influence, the Franks fell into civil war, preventing any coordinated assault on Lombard territory throughout Agilulf's rule.
In 598, he concluded a truce with thePapacy, temporarily ending three decades of Lombard incursions into theDucatus Romanus. With peace in the west, Agilulf concentrated his military efforts on theByzantine threat. That same year, he consolidated Lombard control in central Italy by capturingSutri,Perugia, and otherUmbrian cities from theExarchate of Ravenna, while also maintaining friendly relations withBavaria.
He campaigned successfully against theAvars andSlavs, and negotiated a truce with the Byzantine emperorMaurice in 598, with the assistance ofPopeGregory the Great. However, the peace was short-lived. In 599, the ExarchCallinicus violated the truce by abducting Agilulf's daughter while she was travelling.
War resumed, and in 602, the Byzantine emperorPhocas lostPadua, which had already been isolated from Ravenna during the reign of Authari. The fall of Padua cut offMantua, which also fell to Agilulf before the year ended.[5]
In 605, Agilulf was formally recognized by the Byzantine emperorPhocas, who agreed to pay tribute and cededOrvieto, along with other towns, to the Lombards. The outbreak of thePersian Wars diverted Byzantine attention to the East, providing Agilulf with a decade of relative peace in Italy.
In 607,Witteric, king of theVisigoths, forged a quadruple alliance againstTheuderic II of Burgundy, enlistingTheudebert II ofAustrasia,Clotaire II ofNeustria, and Agilulf. Theuderic's wife,Ermenberga—Witteric's daughter—had been murdered by Theuderic's grandmother,Brunhilda of Austrasia, and sister, prompting the diplomatic backlash. The alliance, however, appears to have achieved little, and only vague accounts of combat survive, possibly centered aroundNarbonne.
Agilulf faced internal unrest during his later reign and dealt with further Avar incursions. In 610, theAvars invadedFriuli, killing its duke,Gisulf. Despite these episodes, the final years of Agilulf's reign were largely peaceful. He died in 616, having ruled for over a quarter of a century.
He was succeeded by his son,Adaloald, whom he had fathered withTheodelinda. Though still an adolescent at the time of succession, Adaloald had previously been associated with the throne. Agilulf also had a daughter,Gundeberga, who later marriedArioald, a future king of the Lombards.[6]
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| Preceded by | Duke of Turin 589–590 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | King of the Lombards 590–616 | Succeeded by |
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