Grimoald I (c. 610 - 671) was duke of
Benevento (651-662) and king of the
Lombards (662-671).
Born probably before 610 to Duke
Gisulf II of Friuli and the
Bavarian princess Ramhilde, daughter of Duke
Garibald I of Bavaria, he succeeded his brother
Radoald (646-651) as duke of Benevento. Before that, he was, along with Radoald, a
regent for their mentally incapable adoptive brother
Aiulf I from 642 to Radoald's succession. He married the princess
Theodota, daughter of King
Aripert I. Their son was
Garibald.
In 662, after being called to assist King
Godepert in a war with his brother King
Perctarit, Grimoald gave Benevento to his eldest son
Romuald (662-677) and, removing the fraternal impediments to his kingship with the aid of Duke
Garibald of Turin, assassinated Godepert and forced Perctarit to flee. He sent Perctarit's wife and
son to Benevento and took over the kingship of the Lombards. It was then that he promptly married Godepert's sister in order to relate himself to the
Bavarian Dynasty of
Theodelinda.
His martial prowess and skill in the field of battle secured his victory in many border wars. He led his armies to victory personally against the
Byzantines under Emperor
Constans II at the siege of Benevento, where they had been besieging the young Romuald, who betrothed his sister Gisa to Constans. Romuald then took
Taranto and
Brindisi, much limiting the Byzantine influence in the region during the rebellion of
Mezecius in
Sicily, which had distracted the Byzantines after Constans death. Grimoald himself took
Forlì, in the north, from the Greeks and razed
Oderzo (but did not take it), where
his brothers had been murdered years before. His capture of Forlì was shameful, however, for he took it on
Easter Day, slaughtering worshippers during the festivities.
While he was combatting the Byzantines in the
Mezzogiorno, he left Duke
Lupus of Friuli as regent in the north. Lupus usurped all authority and rebelled, though he was crushed and with the help of the
Avars his duchy despoiled and devastated. Grimoald tracked down Lupus' aspiring son
Arnefrit, and his
Slav allies, and defeated him at
Nimis. Arnefrit died in battle. Grimoald placed
Wechthari, a stalwart enemy of the Slavs, in
Friuli.
Grimoald defeated the Franks who invaded during the infancy of
Chlothar III. Grimoald had allied with Perctarit, at
Asti and the
Avars, of whom he had been a hostage in his youth. He saved the northeast of
Italy by defeating the Slav tribes and maintained internal order by suppressing the baronial revolts and autonomy of the duchies of
Friuli and of
Spoleto, where he installed
Thrasimund.
In his religion he remained
Arian despite his marriage to a
Catholic and he was aloof of the
Papacy. However, he perceived
Saint Michael — whose cult was spreading strongly from
Monte Gargano— as the warrior-protector of the Lombard nation.
He died in 671 after concluding a treaty with the Franks and was succeeded by Perctarit, whom he had exiled. He was a popular ruler, known as much for the kingly virtues of generosity and mercy as for his ferocity and ruthlessness in war. His son Romuald was left in Benevento, which once again drifted away from central authority, and his son Garibald was not elected to succeed him on account of his youth and was deposed by the adherents of Perctarit's cause in three months time.
Sources
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Category:671 deathsCategory:Dukes of BeneventoCategory:Lombard kingsCategory:LombardsCategory:RegentsCategory:Year of birth uncertainCategory:7th-century rulers in Europebg:Гримоалдde:Grimoald (Langobarde)fr:Grimoald Ier de Bénéventgl:Grimoaldo I de Beneventoit:Grimoaldouk:Грімоальд I Беневентський
