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Lombard

Historical Overview Section

In the spring of 568, Lombard king Alboin led his nation together with other Germanic tribes; (Bavarians, Gepids, Saxons and Bulgars) across the Alps with a population of around 400,000 to 500,000, to invade northern Italy. Soon Vicenza, Verona and Brescia fell into Germanic hands. In the summer of 569, the Lombards conquered the main Early Byzantine Roman centre of northern Italy, Milan. The area was then recovering from the terrible Gothic Wars, and the small Byzantine army left for its defence could do almost nothing. The Exarch sent to Italy by Emperor Justinian II, Longinus, could defend only coastal cities that could be supplied by the powerful Byzantine fleet. Pavia fell after a siege of three years, in 572, becoming the first capital city of the new Lombard kingdom of Italy. In the following years, the Lombards penetrated further south, conquering Tuscany and establishing two duchies, Spoleto and Benevento under Zotto, which soon became semi-independent and even outlasted the northern kingdom, surviving well into the 12th century. The Byzantines only just managed to retain control of the area of Ravenna and Rome, linked by a thin corridor running through Perugia.

When Alboin was murdered in 572 his successor, Cleph, was also assassinated after a short and brutal reign of just 18 months. This death began the "Rule of the Dukes", during which the dukes did not elect any king, until in 584 when threatened by a Frankish invasion, they elected Cleph's son, Authari. In 589, he married Theodelinda, daughter of the Duke of Bavaria who pushed for Christianization of the kingdom. On the foreign affairs side, Authari managed to thwart the dangerous alliance between the Byzantines and the Merovingian Frankish kingdom. When Authari died in 590 his successor also married Theodelinda, conquered Padua (601), Cremona and Mantua (603), and forced the Exarch of Ravenna to pay him tribute. A subsequent monarch Rothari is regarded by many as the most energetic of all Lombard kings. He extended his dominions, conquering Liguria in 643 and the remaining part of the Byzantine territories.

The next great schism came at the death of King Aripert I in 661 when the kingdom was split between his children Perctarit, who set his capital in Milan, and Godepert, who reigned from Pavia. Perctarit was overthrown by Grimoald, son of Gisulf, duke of Friuli and Benevento since 647. Perctarit fled to the Avars and then to the Franks. Grimoald managed to regain control over the duchies and deflected the late attempt of the Byzantine emperor Constans II to conquer southern Italy. He also defeated the Merovingian Frankish forces. At Grimoald's death in 671 Perctarit returned and promoted tolerance between Arians and Catholics, but he could not defeat the Arian party, led by Arachi, duke of Trento. Religious strife remained a source of struggle in the following years and the last Lombard to rule as king was Desiderius, duke of Tuscany, who ended all Byzantine presence in Central Italy in taking Ravenna. He foolishly reopened Lombards struggle against the Pope and entered Rome in 772, the first Lombard king to do so. But Pope Hadrian I called for help from Carolingian Frankish Charlemagne who won major victories at Susa, Pavia and Verona. Charlemagne then took the title "King of the Lombards" as well in 774!

Though the kingdom centred on Pavia in the north fell to Charlemagne, the Lombard-controlled territory to the south of the Papal States was not subjugated by Charlemagne, and the Duchy retained de-factor independance dispite - or beause of - being claimed by both the Franks and Byzantium. At one point in the reign of Sicard, Lombard control covered most of southern Italy save the very south of Apulia and Calabria and Naples. However its ruler Sicard unwisely opened up the south to the invasive actions of the Saracens as both parties in a civil war invited in large Saracen mercenary forces who later went onto rebel and sack large swathes of Lombard territory.

This pattern was later repeated when the Normans were invited in as allies - only to eventually take control of the entire territory in a gradual annexation taking most of the 11th century o be completed as a shifting melee of alliances, independant cities and small scale wars simmered the melting pot of Lombard Southern Italy down into one decisively Norman-flavoured stew.

Using the army in ADLG

  • Make it big. It relies on getting into combat quickly and hitting hard, but will take casulaties.
  • The option with some medium foot gives you a solution to terrain that would otherwise stymie the cavalry
  • Don't get distracted by too many support troops - Impetuous attacking is your main strength.
  • Having said that, maximising the LF Bow to screen either cavalry or infantry from shooting is a must. Think through how you will need to deploy and move up a LF screen to keep them ahead of your Impetuous cavalry beforehand, and be prepared for the LF to die from shooting if in the process your cavalry get to charge into contact without having taken any hits.

User-contributed links about this army. Add links in this format:

as an example

  • Lombards Army usage statistics from the ADLG ranking site

Army Lists

Sample army lists for this army

UKGE 2023
Brilliant
4 Nobles Heavy Cavalry Impetuous Elite
3 Followers Medium Cavalry Impetuous ----
5 Followers on Foot Medium Swordsmen Impetuous ----
4 Light Bowmen Light Infantry Bow ------
1 Bowmen Bowmen ----
1 Bowmen Bowmen Mediocre
==
Ordinary Included
1 Nobles Heavy Cavalry Impetuous Elite
2 Followers Medium Cavalry Impetuous ----
==
Competent Avar Ally
2 Nobles Heavy cavalry Bow Elite
2 Gepids Medium Cavalry Impetuous ------
1 Horse Archers Light cavalry Bow ------
Fortified Camp


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