Lombards Found a Kingdom in Italy

Timeline

1. 568–572Northern Italy · ItalyThe Lombards under Alboin crossed the Alps into Italy and quickly seized most of the Po Plain. Byzantine and Ostrogothic remnants retreated step by step, and the Lombards established a proto-kingdom divided among duchies, with its capital at Pavia.
2. 601–650Lombard Kingdom · ItalyEarly 7th-century kings such as Agilulf and Rosari worked to strengthen central royal authority and promoted the Arians' conversion to orthodox Christianity. However, ducal power in the regions was strong, and royal power and local nobles remained in constant contest; the kingdom took the form of a royal domain coexisting with duchies.
3. 650–700Ravenna–Rome line · ItalyByzantium still controlled Ravenna, the Venetian coast, and several southern strongholds, while the Papal States rose in centrality at Rome. Lombards, Byzantines, and the pope alternated between war and peace; popes such as Gregory I organized resistance to Lombard attacks, and the divided pattern of Italy was essentially set by the end of the 7th century.