Desiderius (also known as
Daufer or
Dauferius;
Didier in
French and
Desiderio in
Italian) was the last king of the
Lombard Kingdom of northern
Italy (died c. 786). He is chiefly known for his connection to
Charlemagne, who married his daughter and conquered his realm.
Rise to power
He was originally a royal officer, the
dux Langobardorum et comes stabuli, "constable and duke of the Lombards," an office apparently similar to the contemporaneous
Frankish office of
dux Francorum. King
Aistulf made him duke of
Istria and
Tuscany and he became king after the death of Aistulf in 756. At that time, Aistulf's predecessor,
Ratchis, left his monastic retreat of
Montecassino and tried to seize the kingdom, but Desiderius put his revolt down quickly with the support of
Pope Stephen II. At his coronation, Desiderius promised to restore many lost papal towns to the
Holy See, in return for the papacy's endorsement of his claim. Conflict with the Holy See under
Pope Stephen III arose, for Stephen opposed Charlemagne's marriage to Desiderius' daughter. Desiderius ceased delivery of the towns after only a few.
Seeking, like his predecessors, to extend the Lombard power in
Italy, he came into collision with the papacy and the southern duchies. In the same year Desiderius associates to his kingdom the son
Adelchis. Alboin, the
duchy of Benevento and Liutprand,
that of Spoleto were coaxed by Pope Stephen to commend themselves to the Franks and thus separate themselves again from monarchy. They then placed themselves under the protection of
Pippin (Lat. Pipinus), the king of Franks. In 758, Duke
Liutprand of Benevento attained his majority and rebelled. Desiderius defeated him and granted his duchy to one
Arechis, tying the duchy more closely to
Pavia than it had been since
Grimoald's time. In that same year, Desiderius deposed
Alboin of Spoleto and exercised himself the ducal powers there.
Appointing Antipope Phillip
Desiderius seized a priest named Phillip from the
Monastery of St Vito. One July 31, 768 he summarily appointed him pope.
Antipope Philip was never recognized nor gained a significant following so he left the same day and returned to his monastery where is is never heard from or seen again.
Relations with Charlemagne
Stephen III opposed Charlemagne's marriage to Desiderius' daughter,
Desiderata, in 768, but by his death in 772, he had made peace with the Lombards. The new pope,
Adrian I, however, implored the aid of Charlemagne against him, for the marriage of dynasties was dissolved by Charlemagne's repudiation of Desiderata in 771. Charles sent her back to her father. Moreover,
Gerberga, the widow of Charlemagne's brother
Carloman, sought the protection of the Lombard king after her husband's death in 771; and — probably in return for the insult Charlemagne had given to the Lombards by rejecting Desiderata — Desiderius recognised Gerberga's sons as lawful heirs, and attacked Pope Adrian for refusing to crown them kings and invaded the Pentapolis. The embassies of Adrian and Desiderius met at
Thionville and Charlemagne favoured the pope's case.
Such was the position when Charlemagne and his uncle
Bernard led troops across the
Alps in 773. The Lombards were severely defeated at
Mortara (Ara Mortis) and soon besieged in their capital of
Ticinum, the modern
Pavia. Desiderius' son
Adelchis was raising an army at
Verona, but the young prince was chased to the
Adriatic littoral and fled to
Constantinople when Charlemagne approached.
The siege lasted until June 774, when, in return for the lives of his soldiers and subjects, Desiderius surrendered and opened the gates. Desiderius was exiled to the abbey of
Corbie, where he died, and his son Adelchis spent his entire life in futile attempts to recover his father's kingdom. Some sources state that the king and his family were banished to a monastery at
Liège,
Belgium. Desiderius died sometime around 786.
The name Desiderius appears in the romances of the
Carolingian period. Charlemagne took the title
rex Langobardorum, the first time a Germanic king adopted the title of a kingdom he had conquered.
Family
He married
Ansa (or Ansia) and, as well as a son, had four daughters:
- Anselperga (or Anselberga), abbess of San Salvatore
- Desiderata, married Charlemagne in 768, divorced in 771
