Paul the Deacon and the Franks

Abstract

The conquest of Lombardy in 774 is universally recognized, both by contemporaries and by modern historians, to have been one of the most momentous events in Charlemagne's reign. Yet the process by which Charlemagne consolidated his rule in the Lombard kingdom of Italy, and the cultural and religious consequences of 774 for both Franks and Lombards, are far less easy to determine. In this article I argue that it is in the context of Paul's political involvement both before and after the Frankish conquest that all his writings, and especially the composition of the Historia Langobardorum should be seen. I look at both the content of the Historia Langobardorumand the manuscript tradition and transmission of the work. I suggest that Paul's History might be better understood as a very skilful piece of image making about the Lombards' past and identity on behalf of the Lombards for the Franks, either in Francia itself, or for the Franks and Lombards at the court of Pippin of Italy. It was designed to serve a particular function, namely, to instruct the Franks about the Lombard past and provide some measure of legitimation of Carolingian rule. What can be put together about its reception suggests that it was successful. In short, the Historia Langobardorum is a very active contribution to the shaping of Frankish and Lombard relations and the understanding of kingship in the aftermath of 774.

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