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Lombard Invasion of Italy
In 568 CE, Lombard king Alboin led his people across the Alps into Italy, quickly seizing much of the Po Plain and sharply reducing Eastern Roman rul…
Timeline
- 568Alpine passes · Alpine regionAfter resting in Pannonia, the Lombards intervened in Italy at Eastern Roman invitation; Alboin led his army over the Alps southward, and Eastern Roman frontier defenses were too weak to stop them.
- 568–572Pavia · LombardyThe Lombards quickly captured Milan, Pavia, and other major cities, establishing a center of rule on the Po Plain; Eastern Roman power was squeezed into Ravenna, south of Rome, and several coastal strongholds, and Italy fell into prolonged division.
Sources
- Paul the Deacon, History of the Lombards — Paul the Deacon https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Paul_Diaconus/home.html
- The Lombards: The Ancient Longobards — Neil Christie (1995)