Wechtar of Friuli
Encyclopedia
Wechtar a Lombard
from Vicenza
, was the Duke of Friuli
from 666 to 678. He took control of Friuli
at the command of King Grimoald
following the rebellion of Lupus
and Arnefrit
and the invasion of the Avars
. According to Paul the Deacon
, he was a mild and fair ruler.
Soon after Grimoald pacified the region, Wechtar was appointed duke. Soon after his appointment, he travelled to Pavia
and, while he was away, the Slavs, formerly allies of Arnefrit, invaded his duchy. They intended to take Forum Julii (modern Cividale) and camped at Boxas, the location of which remains uncertain. Some have put it at Purgessimus, some at Prosascus near the source of the Natisone
(Natisio), still others at Borgo Bressana, and finally, and most definitively, near Brischis just outside the city. Paul relates that Wechtari had just returned from Pavia at the same time when he heard of their encampment and marched against them with twenty five men. At a bridge over the Natisone, Wechtari met them and, again according to Paul, defeated them in a route. The historical accuracy of Paul's account has, on the basis of its outrageous numbers, been called into question.
Wechtari died and was succeeded by Landari
.
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
from Vicenza
Vicenza
Vicenza , a city in north-eastern Italy, is the capital of the eponymous province in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, straddling the Bacchiglione...
, was the Duke of Friuli
Duke of Friuli
The dukes and margraves of Friuli were the rulers of the Duchy and March of Friuli in the Middle Ages.The dates given below, when contentious, are discussed in the articles of the respective dukes.-Lombard dukes:* 568–c.584 Grasulf I...
from 666 to 678. He took control of Friuli
Friuli
Friuli is an area of northeastern Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, i.e. the province of Udine, Pordenone, Gorizia, excluding Trieste...
at the command of King Grimoald
Grimoald I of Benevento
Grimoald I was duke of Benevento and king of the Lombards .Born probably before 610 to Duke Gisulf II of Friuli and the Bavarian princess Ramhilde, daughter of Duke Garibald I of Bavaria, he succeeded his brother Radoald as duke of Benevento...
following the rebellion of Lupus
Lupus of Friuli
Lupus was the Duke of Friuli from between 660 and 663 to his death around 666.Immediately after succeeded to Friuli, Lupus invaded Grado with a body of cavalry and plundered the city, then proceeding to Aquileia, where he stole the treasures of the Patriarchate.When King Grimoald went south to...
and Arnefrit
Arnefrit of Friuli
Arnefrit, Arnefrid, Amefrit, or Amefrith was the son of Lupus of Friuli who claimed the Duchy of Friuli after his father's death in 666....
and the invasion of the Avars
Eurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
. According to Paul the Deacon
Paul the Deacon
Paul the Deacon , also known as Paulus Diaconus, Warnefred, Barnefridus and Cassinensis, , was a Benedictine monk and historian of the Lombards.-Life:...
, he was a mild and fair ruler.
Soon after Grimoald pacified the region, Wechtar was appointed duke. Soon after his appointment, he travelled to Pavia
Pavia
Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It is the capital of the province of Pavia. It has a population of c. 71,000...
and, while he was away, the Slavs, formerly allies of Arnefrit, invaded his duchy. They intended to take Forum Julii (modern Cividale) and camped at Boxas, the location of which remains uncertain. Some have put it at Purgessimus, some at Prosascus near the source of the Natisone
Natisone
The Natisone is a river that flows for some time as a border river between Slovenia and Italy, continues in Slovenia and then crosses the border and continues in Eastern Friuli, in north-eastern Italy...
(Natisio), still others at Borgo Bressana, and finally, and most definitively, near Brischis just outside the city. Paul relates that Wechtari had just returned from Pavia at the same time when he heard of their encampment and marched against them with twenty five men. At a bridge over the Natisone, Wechtari met them and, again according to Paul, defeated them in a route. The historical accuracy of Paul's account has, on the basis of its outrageous numbers, been called into question.
Wechtari died and was succeeded by Landari
Landar of Friuli
Landar, Landari, or Laudari was the Duke of Friuli following Wechthari in 678. He himself died before 694, when Rodoald appears as his successor.-Sources:...
.
Sources
- Paul the DeaconPaul the DeaconPaul the Deacon , also known as Paulus Diaconus, Warnefred, Barnefridus and Cassinensis, , was a Benedictine monk and historian of the Lombards.-Life:...
. Historia Langobardorum. Translated by William Dudley Foulke. University of Pennsylvania: 1907. - Hodgkin, ThomasThomas Hodgkin (historian)Thomas Hodgkin , British historian, son of John Hodgkin , barrister and Quaker minister, and Elizabeth Howard ....
. Italy and her Invaders. Clarendon Press: 1895. - Oman, CharlesCharles OmanSir Charles William Chadwick Oman was a British military historian of the early 20th century. His reconstructions of medieval battles from the fragmentary and distorted accounts left by chroniclers were pioneering...
. The Dark Ages 476–918. Rivingtons: London, 1914. - Musoni, Francesco. Atti del Congresso in Cividale. 1899.
- Waitz, Georg, translator. "Pauli Historia Langobardorum." Monumenta Germaniae HistoricaMonumenta Germaniae HistoricaThe Monumenta Germaniae Historica is a comprehensive series of carefully edited and published sources for the study of German history from the end of the Roman Empire to 1500.The society sponsoring the series was established by the Prussian reformer Heinrich Friedrich Karl Freiherr vom...
Scriptores Rerum Langobardicarum. - Bethmann, Ludwig. "Paulus Diakonus Leben," "Paulus Diakonus Schriften," and "Die Geschichtschreibung der Langobarden." Archiv der Gesellschaft fur altere deutsche Geschichtkunde. Vol. 10. Hannover: 1849.