Can any of you seriously say the Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights could get through Congress today? It wouldn’t even get out of committee.
F. Lee Bailey, Newsweek, 17 April 1967.
Hildeprand was the Duke of Spoleto from 774 to 789.
When
Theodicius of SpoletoTheodicius was the Duke of Spoleto from 763 to 773. Though it is often stated that he died at the Siege of Pavia , he was still alive on 9 June 776, when Charlemagne confirmed the properties of the monastery of Farfa and Abbot Ingoald in the reign of his successor Hildeprand.-Sources:*Hodgkin,...
died fighting at the
Siege of PaviaThe Siege or Battle of Pavia was fought in 773–774 in what is now northern Italy, near Ticinum , and resulted the victory of Franks under Charlemagne against the Lombards under king Desiderius.-Background:...
in 774, the
LombardsThe Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
of the
Duchy of SpoletoThe independent Duchy of Spoleto was a Lombard territory founded about 570 in central Italy by the Lombard dux Faroald.- Lombards :The Lombards, a Germanic people, had invaded Italy in 568 and conquered much of it, establishing a Kingdom divided between several dukes dependent on the King, who had...
elected Hildeprand their duke and quickly submitted to the
FranksThe Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
. Hildeprand fled to
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
before the Frankish host and did homage to
Pope Hadrian IPope Adrian was pope from February 1, 772 to December 25, 795. He was the son of Theodore, a Roman nobleman.Shortly after Adrian's accession the territory ruled by the papacy was invaded by Desiderius, king of the Lombards, and Adrian was compelled to seek the assistance of the Frankish king...
. However, the dispute between
CharlemagneCharlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
and Hadrian as to who had the proper suzerainty over Spoleto was solved in the Frank's favour over the next few years. In January 776,
Hildeprandus gloriosus et summus dux ducatus Spoletani made a donation to the
Abbey of FarfaFarfa Abbey is a territorial abbey in northern Lazio, central Italy. It is one of the most famous abbeys of Europe. It belongs to the Benedictine Order and is located about 60 km from Rome, in the commune of Fara Sabina, not far from the Fara Sabina railway station.-History:A legend in the...
dating it to the year of Charles' reign. This form was continued in 777 with language implicitly excluding papal suzerainty.
In 775, Hadrian alleged that Hildeprand had joined a conspiracy of
Hrodgaud of FriuliHrodgaud or Rodgand was the Duke of Friuli from 774 to 776. Probably he was already duke under Desiderius, even if some Frankish sources, such as the Einhardis annales, say that Charlemagne put him in power after the Siege of Pavia....
and
Arechis II of BeneventoArechis II was Duke of Benevento, in southern Italy, from 758 until his death....
, but there is no evidence of Hildeprand's involvement. Hildeprand remained a staunch opponent of the papacy thereafter.
In 779, Hildeprand travelled to Virciniacum, probably near
CompiègneCompiègne is a city in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.The city is located along the Oise River...
, to profess fealty to Charlemagne. He brought with him gifts and left with promises that the king would protect his interests from those of the pope.
In 788, Hildeprand joined Frankish and Lombard troops in resisting a
ByzantineThe Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
invasion. He died the next year and was succeeded by a royal appointee: a Frank, named
WinigesWiniges was the Duke of Spoleto from 789 to his death. He was probably a Frank in the entourage of Charlemagne when he was sent in 788 to lead Hildeprand of Spoleto and Grimoald III of Benevento in cooperation with Frankish troops against a Byzantine invasion.In this, his first recorded action,...
.
Sources
- Hodgkin, Thomas
Thomas Hodgkin , British historian, son of John Hodgkin , barrister and Quaker minister, and Elizabeth Howard ....
. Italy and her Invaders. Clarendon Press: 1895.