Italy and Her Invaders: The Lombard Kingdom

The Lombards, also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin. By the 5th century the Lombards settled in the valley of the Danube where they subdued the Germanic Heruls and the Gepids.

From the Danube region they conquered the Byzantine Italy in 568 under the leadership of Alboin. They established a Lombard Kingdom in Italy, later named Kingdom of Italy, which lasted until 774, when it was conquered by the Franks, although Lombard nobles would continue to rule p...