Home Region:  Southern Europe (Europe)

Lombard Kingdom

568 CE 774 CE

D G SC CC PT EQ 2020  it_lombard_k / ItLombr

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400411422433444456467478489500


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Preceding Entity:
No Polity found. Add one here.

Succeeding Entity:
No Polity found. Add one here.


The Lombard were a Germanic tribe who, by the end of the 5th century CE, had settled their territory north of the Danube River, which corresponds approximately to the area that is now modern-day Austria. Under the rule of Alboin, the Lombards invaded and migrated to a defenceless Italy in 568 CE, and within a year had conquered and occupied all major cities north of the Po River. [1]
When they arrived in Italy the Lombards were divided into clans, each with its own war-leader, but by the middle of the seventh century a monarchy had been established which led to a centralised authority which each of the clans ‘dukes’ were answerable to. [2]
In 773 CE the Franks under Charlemagne, and in alliance with Pope Adrian I, invaded Italy. After a year of siege they captured the city of Pavia and the Lombards surrendered to Charlemagne. He became the ruler of both the Lombards and the Franks, and Lombardian rule in Italy came to an end. [1]

[1]: “Lombard | People | Britannica”. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/E6RFZXRD

[2]: Peters 2003: x. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/X4ETPHA7

General Variables
Social Complexity Variables
Social Scale
Hierarchical Complexity
Professions
Bureaucracy Characteristics
Law
Specialized Buildings: polity owned
Transport Infrastructure
Special-purpose Sites
Information / Writing System
Information / Kinds of Written Documents
Information / Money
Information / Postal System
Information / Measurement System
Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)
Fortifications
Military use of Metals
Projectiles
Handheld weapons
Animals used in warfare
Armor
Naval technology
Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)
Luxury Goods
Religion Variables Coding in Progress.
Human Sacrifice Coding in Progress.
Crisis Consequences Coding in Progress.
Power Transitions Coding in Progress.

NGA Settlements:

Year Range Lombard Kingdom (it_lombard_k) was in:
Home NGA: None

General Variables
Identity and Location
Utm Zone:
32 N
[568, 774]
Utm Zone:
33 N
[568, 774]

Original Name:
Lombard Kingdom
[568, 774]

Capital:
Verona
568 CE

Verona was made the first capital of Lombard Italy by the conquering king, Albion. [1] In 584, when the monarchy was dissolved, the capital city was moved west to Milan. [2] In 620 the capital shifted again to Pavia, just south of Milan, where it remained and housed the royal Lombard court. [3] [4]

[1]: Christie 1998: 145. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF

[2]: Christie 1998: 146. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF

[3]: Peters 2003: xi. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/X4ETPHA7

[4]: Christie 1998: 147. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF

Capital:
Milan
584 CE

Verona was made the first capital of Lombard Italy by the conquering king, Albion. [1] In 584, when the monarchy was dissolved, the capital city was moved west to Milan. [2] In 620 the capital shifted again to Pavia, just south of Milan, where it remained and housed the royal Lombard court. [3] [4]

[1]: Christie 1998: 145. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF

[2]: Christie 1998: 146. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF

[3]: Peters 2003: xi. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/X4ETPHA7

[4]: Christie 1998: 147. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Alternative Name:
Lombards
[568, 774]
Alternative Name:
Kingdom of the Lombards
[568, 774]
Alternative Name:
Langobards
[568, 774]

Temporal Bounds
Duration:
[568 CE ➜ 774 CE]
 

Political and Cultural Relations
Language
Religion
Religious Tradition:
Christianity
[568, 774]
Religious Tradition:
Christianity
[568, 774]


Social Complexity Variables
Social Scale
Population of the Largest Settlement:
-
[568, 774]

Settlement figures have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Polity Territory:
214,500 km2
[568, 774]

square kilometres. The exact extent of the Lombard territory in this period is not known as the Byzantines still held intermittent areas in the north of Italy where the Lombards were centred, as well as along the coast, around Rome, and the south of the peninsula. [1] However, judging by the maps included in the sources and tracking this on google maps gives a very approximate estimate of around 214,500 square kilometres.

[1]: Wickham 1981: 31. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/Z539DW5B


Polity Population:
4,000,000 people
[568, 774]

Inhabitant. Exact polity population figures have not been mentioned in the sources consulted. However, Wickham (1981) estimates that there may have been around 200,000 Lombards that migrated to Italy, who made up approximately 5-8% of the population of the region, while the remaining 92-95% were Romans. [1] Therefore it could be calculated from this that there were approximately four million inhabitants in the Lombard held territories of Italy.

[1]: Wickham 1981: 65. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/Z539DW5B


Largest Communication Distance:
-
[568, 774]

kilometers.


Hierarchical Complexity
Settlement Hierarchy:
4
[568, 774]

[1] : 1. Cities :: 2. Towns ::: 3. Forts ::: 4. Villages

[1]: Christie 1998: 77, 83, 104, 168-169. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Religious Level:
4
[568, 774]

_Catholicism_ : 1. Pope :: 2. Cardinals ::: 3. Archbisops :::: 4. Bishops


Military Level:
3
[568, 774]

[1] [2] : 1. King :: 2. War Chiefs ::: 3. Warriors

[1]: Christie 1998: 118. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF

[2]: Clayton 2021: 162. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/4N2ZFRX8


Administrative Level:
4
[568, 774]

[1] [2] [3] Kings were elected from the noble class and were seen as a representative or head of the Lombard people, rather than a monarch with absolute power. : 1. King :: 2. War Chiefs (later as Dukes) ::: 3. Officials (notaries, chancellor, cellarer, treasurer) :::: 4. Lesser/local administrators

[1]: Christie 1998: 115. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF

[2]: Clayton 2021: 162. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/4N2ZFRX8

[3]: Wickham 1981: 39-42. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/Z539DW5B


Professions
Professional Soldier:
Absent
[568, 774]

All freemen were expected to carry out military service as and when their duke or king summoned them. However there does not seem to have been a standing professional army. [1] [2]

[1]: Christie 1998: 118. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF

[2]: Clayton 2021: 162. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/4N2ZFRX8


Professional Priesthood:
Present
[568, 774]

In the Catholic church.


Professional Military Officer:
Absent
[568, 774]

All freemen were expected to carry out military service as and when their duke or king summoned them. However there does not seem to have been a standing professional army. [1] [2]

[1]: Christie 1998: 118. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF

[2]: Clayton 2021: 162. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/4N2ZFRX8


Source Of Support:
unknown
[568, 774]

Source of support has not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Bureaucracy Characteristics
Specialized Government Building:
Unknown
[568, 774]

Specialized government buildings have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Merit Promotion:
Unknown
[568, 774]

Merit promotions have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Full Time Bureaucrat:
Present
[568, 774]

The imperial and legal courts had notaries, chancellors, judges etc. [1]

[1]: Christie 1998: 115. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Examination System:
Unknown
[568, 774]

Examination systems have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Law
Professional Lawyer:
Unknown
[568, 774]

Lawyers have not been mentioned in the sources consulted


Judge:
Present
[568, 774]

There were judges who oversaw the justices and punishments of the law. [1]

[1]: Christie 1998: 115, 124. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Formal Legal Code:
Present
[568, 774]

The Lombards had written and codified laws. [1] [2]

[1]: Peters 2003: xiii, 112. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/X4ETPHA7

[2]: Christie 1998: 124. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Court:
Present
[568, 774]

Judges and their lesser officials worked in courts. [1]

[1]: Christie 1998: 116-117. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Specialized Buildings: polity owned
Market:
Present
[568, 774]

Markets are mentioned in the Lombard laws and were present in urban and rural areas. [1]

[1]: Christie 1998: 141. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Irrigation System:
Unknown
[568, 774]

Irrigation systems have not been mentioned in the sources consulted


Food Storage Site:
Present
[568, 774]

It is very likely that cities at least had food storage sites, however this has not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Drinking Water Supply System:
Present
[568, 774]

Existing Roman aqueducts, which were later extended by the Lombards, provided cities with water. [1]

[1]: Christie 1998: 150, 158. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Communal Building:
Present
[568, 774]

Churches, chapels, cathedrals. [1]

[1]: Christie 1998: 96. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Utilitarian Public Building:
Present
[568, 774]

Roman public buildings such as forums, amphitheatres and bath houses, existed in the territories that the Lombards conquered. Cities in particular had well made and preserved public buildings. [1]

[1]: Christie 1998: 146, 150. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Symbolic Building:
Present
[568, 774]

Churches, chapels, cathedrals. [1]

[1]: Christie 1998: 96, 147, 149. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Knowledge Or Information Building:
Unknown
[568, 774]

Knowledge buildings have not been mentioned in the sources consulted


Entertainment Building:
Present
[568, 774]

Amphitheatres, forums, and public baths surviving from the Roman period, were utilised by the Lombards. [1]

[1]: Christie 1998: 149-150. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Other Utilitarian Public Building:
Present
[568, 774]

Roman public buildings such as forums, amphitheatres and bath houses, existed in the territories that the Lombards conquered. Cities in particular had well made and preserved public buildings. [1]

[1]: Christie 1998: 146, 150. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Transport Infrastructure
Road:
Present
[568, 774]

There were roads across the Lombard territory in Italy and beyond. Major cities such as Milan and Pavia were at an intersection of crossroads giving access to other parts of the kingdom. [1]

[1]: Christie 1998: 77, 78, 147. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Port:
Present
[568, 774]

There were ports along the Italian/Lombardian coast such as Classe near Ravenna, and the important Byzantine ports of Taranto and Brindisi. [1]

[1]: Clayton 2021: 119, 136. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/4N2ZFRX8


Canal:
Absent
[568, 774]

Canals have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Bridge:
Present
[568, 774]

Special-purpose Sites
Trading Emporia:
Unknown
[568, 774]

Trading emporiums have not been mentioned in the sources consulted


Enclosure:
Present
[568, 774]

There were already forts and walled towns and cities when the Lombards arrived in Italy. These were then occupied and more were built over the centuries. [1]

[1]: Christie 1998: 87-89, 92. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Ceremonial Site:
Present
[568, 774]

Churches, chapels, cathedrals. [1]

[1]: Christie 1998: 96, 100. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Burial Site:
Present
[568, 774]

Lombard cemeteries were built rapidly as soon as they moved in to their new Italian territories. Around the city of Cividale especially there were several cemeteries built within the first year. Tombs and crypts were used for elite individuals. [1]

[1]: Christie 1998: 77, 100, 158. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Information / Writing System
Written Record:
Present
[568, 774]

Letters, scholarly works, legal and official royal documents. [1] [2]

[1]: Peters 2003: xii-xiv. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/X4ETPHA7

[2]: Christie 1998: 115, 124. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Script:
Present
[568, 774]

Phonetic Alphabetic Writing:
Present
[568, 774]

Nonwritten Record:
Present
[568, 774]

Seal rings were used by members of the state office. [1] The royal seal for official documentation. [2]

[1]: Christie 1998: 100. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF

[2]: Christie 1998: 125. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Non Phonetic Writing:
Absent
[568, 774]

Mnemonic Device:
Unknown
[568, 774]

Mnemonic devices have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Information / Kinds of Written Documents
Sacred Text:
Present
[568, 774]

The Bible.


Religious Literature:
Present
[568, 774]

It is very likely that there was religious literature in but it has not been discussed directly in the sources consulted.


Lists Tables and Classification:
Unknown
[568, 774]

Lists, tables, and classifications have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


History:
Present
[568, 774]

Paul the Deacon – a noble and scholar who later became a monk after the invasion of Lombard territory by the Franks – wrote several historical works, including The History of the Lombards. Germanic legends and folklore were written into historical narratives. [1]

[1]: Peters 2003: xii-xiv. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/X4ETPHA7


Fiction:
Present
[568, 774]

Poetry and verse was written by scholars such as Paul the Deacon. [1] Panegyrics “such as the Carmen de Synodo Ticinesi of c.690, the Laudes Mediolanensis Civitatis (c.740) and the Laudes Veronensis or Veronae Rythmica Descriptio (c.795-800)”. [2]

[1]: Peters 2003: xii. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/X4ETPHA7

[2]: Christie 1998: 150. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Information / Money
Token:
Absent
[568, 774]

Tokens have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Precious Metal:
Present
[568, 774]

Gold and silver was used for coins, jewellery, military and dress adornments, and other elite items. [1]

[1]: Christie 1998: 100, 127. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Paper Currency:
Absent
[568, 774]

Only metal coins were present.


Indigenous Coin:
Present
[568, 774]

The adoption of the Byzantine coins as Lombard currency meant that they continued to be minted in both the Byzantium territories of Italy, and in the new Lombard territories. Tremisses, a lighter gold inferior copy of the Byzantine solidi coin, were also minted by the Lombards. Additionally the Lombard kings began minting their own silver coins from the late seventh century. [1]

[1]: Christie 1998: 141-142. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Foreign Coin:
Present
[568, 774]

Byzantine coins - solidi, made of pure gold, and seliqua, of silver -were present. They seem to have been adopted as the Lombard currency. [1]

[1]: Christie 1998: 91, 141. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Article:
Absent
[568, 774]

Articles have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Store Of Wealth:
Present
[568, 774]

Coins hoards, such as the 1,600 pieces found in Biella, have been found in the Lombard territory. [1]

[1]: Christie 1998: 144. https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/975BEGKF


Debt And Credit Structure:
Absent
[568, 774]

These structures have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Information / Postal System
Postal Station:
Unknown
[568, 774]

Postal stations have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


General Postal Service:
Unknown
[568, 774]

General postal service have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Courier:
Unknown
[568, 774]

Couriers have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Fastest Individual Communication:
-
[568, 774]

This has not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Information / Measurement System
Weight Measurement System:
Unknown
[568, 774]

Measurement systems have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Volume Measurement System:
Unknown
[568, 774]

Measurement systems have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Time Measurement System:
Unknown
[568, 774]

Measurement systems have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Length Measurement System:
Unknown
[568, 774]

Measurement systems have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Geometrical Measurement System:
Unknown
[568, 774]

Measurement systems have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.


Area Measurement System:
Unknown
[568, 774]

Measurement systems have not been mentioned in the sources consulted.



Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)
Fortifications
Military use of Metals
Projectiles
Handheld weapons
Animals used in warfare
Armor
Naval technology

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)
Luxury Goods

Human Sacrifice Data
Human Sacrifice is the deliberate and ritualized killing of a person to please or placate supernatural entities (including gods, spirits, and ancestors) or gain other supernatural benefits.
Coding in Progress.
Power Transitions