depicting the coronation of King Agilulf, found at
Valdinievole, now in the Bargello National Museum, Florence. Agilulf was chosen as king on the advice of
Theodelinda, 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 in
Milan in May 591. He was
baptized to appease his wife, and the nation followed suit—though initially adopting the
Arian 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 the
Cathedral of Monza, where the
Iron Crown of Lombardy is still preserved. Agilulf's own crown, now lost, was also kept there; it was dedicated to
St John and inscribed with
rex totius Italiae ("king of all Italy"), reflecting how Agilulf evidently regarded his authority. Agilulf's long reign was marked by the cessation of hostilities with
Francia 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 the
Papacy, temporarily ending three decades of Lombard incursions into the
Ducatus Romanus. With peace in the west, Agilulf concentrated his military efforts on the
Byzantine threat. That same year, he consolidated Lombard control in central Italy by capturing
Sutri,
Perugia, and other
Umbrian cities from the
Exarchate of Ravenna, while also maintaining friendly relations with
Bavaria. He campaigned successfully against the
Avars and
Slavs, and negotiated a truce with the Byzantine emperor
Maurice in 598, with the assistance of
Pope Gregory the Great. However, the peace was short-lived. In 599, the Exarch
Callinicus violated the truce by abducting Agilulf's daughter while she was travelling. War resumed, and in 602, the Byzantine emperor
Phocas lost
Padua, which had already been isolated from Ravenna during the reign of Authari. The fall of Padua cut off
Mantua, which also fell to Agilulf before the year ended. In 605, Agilulf was formally recognized by the Byzantine emperor
Phocas, who agreed to pay tribute and ceded
Orvieto, along with other towns, to the Lombards. The outbreak of the
Persian Wars diverted Byzantine attention to the East, providing Agilulf with a decade of relative peace in Italy. In 607,
Witteric, king of the
Visigoths, forged a quadruple alliance against
Theuderic II of Burgundy, enlisting
Theudebert II of
Austrasia,
Clotaire II of
Neustria, 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 around
Narbonne. Agilulf faced internal unrest during his later reign and dealt with further Avar incursions. In 610, the
Avars invaded
Friuli, 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 with
Theodelinda. 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 married
Arioald, a future king of the Lombards. == Notes ==