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READING HALL

THE DOORS OF WISDOM

 
 

ITALY AND HER INVADERS.

BOOK VIII.

THE FRANKISH INVASIONS. A.D. 744-774

 

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. THE MEROVINGIAN KINGS. EARLY FRANKISH HISTORY

Italy in the middle of the eighth century . Early history of the Frankish confederacy History of Clovis

536-558 The Franks in Italy; Theudebert and Theudebald . Wars between the Franks and the Lombards . 14-16

568-590 Alliance between the two nations . The Faineant Merovingians . Office of the Mayor of the Palace

CHAPTER II. THE EARLY ARNULFING.

St Arnulf to Charles Martel . 24 Authorities . St Arnulf . Pippin of Landen . Retirement and old age of St. Arnulf . Marriage of Arnulf's son and Pippin’s daughter . Death of Pippin of Landen . Grimwald, son of Pippin

CHAPTER III. PIPPIN OF HERISTAL AND CHARLES MARTEL.

Ascendency of Ebroin, Mayor of the Palace

687 Battle of Textri, Austrasia triumphant

687-714 Mayoralty of Pippin of Heristal . The aged Plectrude regent of the realm . harles Martel; his name and character

715-716 Civil War . Charles Martel supreme in Austrasia . Charles Martel and the Moors

732 Battle of Poitiers . Affairs of Aquitaine and Septimania

741 Death of Charles Martel

CHAPTER IV. DUKES OF BAVARIA.

660-722 Theodo I, duke of Bavaria . Bishop Rupert . Bishop Emmeran; his tragic death . Duke Theodo visits Rome . Mission of Corbinian to Bavaria . Charles Martel invades Bavaria . He marries a Bavarian Princess, Swanahild . Boniface’s missionary labours in Bavaria . Boniface and the Pope .

CHAPTER V. THE GREAT RENUNCIATION.

Charles Martel to Charles the Great . Byzantine affairs. Accession of Constantine V .

741. Election of Pope Zacharias . Carloman and Pippin joint Mayors of the Palace . Rebellion of Grifo

744. Death of Liutprand, king of the Lombards . Short reign of Hildeprand. Election of Ratchis. Childeric III; last of the Merovingians .

743. Campaign in Bavaria. Growing influence of Boniface. His correspondence with Zacharias

747. Boniface, archbishop of Mainz

746. Carloman wars with the Alamanni. Massacre of Cannstadt . 109 Carloman’s abdication . Carloman at Soracte . Carloman at Monte Cassino

749. Ratchis abdicates and enters the same convent . Aistulf, king of the Lombards

CHAPTER VI. THE ANOINTING OF PIPPIN.

Grifo’s second revol . Letters of St Boniface . Archbishop Milo . Pippin’s message to Pope Zacharias Pippin king

CHAPTER VII. THE DONATION OF CONSTANTINE

Influence of fiction on history . The historic Constantine . The historic Silvester . Legends about Constantine and Silvester . The pretended Donation of Constantine . Birthplace of the fiction . Its later history . Exploded by Laurentius Valla . Papal claims heightened in the eighth century

CHAPTER VIII. THE STRUGGLE FOR THE EXARCHATE.

752. Death of Pope Zacharias . Stephen II, Pope . Ravenna taken by the Lombards . Character of Aistulf, the Lombard king . Character of Stephen II . Strife between Pope and Lombard king . Aistulf's invasion of Roman territory

753. Aistulf occupies Ceccano in the Duchy of Rome . Pope Stephen II sets out on his journey to Gaul

754. First appearance of Charles the Great . The Pope crowns Pippin and his family . Pippin hailed as Patrician by the Pope . Great gathering of the nation at Carisiacum (Quierzy) . Opposition of Frankish nobles Reappearance of Carloman . Carloman’s death . Donation of Quierzy. Negotiations with Aistulf

755. Mont Cenis crossed by the Franks . Aistulf agrees to Pippin’s terms

756. Aistulf besieges Rome. Lombard ravages . Appeal to Pippin . Pippin’s second campaign in Italy . Cities of the Exarchate and Pentapolis handed over to the Pope

CHAPTER IX. A. D. THE PONTIFICATE OF PAUL I (757-767).

Martyrdom of St. Boniface

756. Death of Aistulf . Struggle for the throne between Ratchis and Desiderius . Legend as to the election of Desiderius . Compact between Stephen II and Desiderius

757. Death of Stephen II . Election of Paul I, brother of the late Pope; his character . Constantine V; his iconoclastic campaign . Political severance between Rome and Constantinople . Duchies of Spoleto and Benevento; their growing independence . Arichis of Benevento marries Adelperga, daughter of Desiderius . Desiderius at Rome . Peace patched up between Paul and Desiderius . Paul’s relations with the Frankish Kingdom . Compliments and presents to Pippin

758. Baptism of Gisila, Pippin’s daughter. Pippin’s wars with the Saxons

759. Pippin’s wars with the Saracens

760-768. Pippin’s wars with Waifar of Aquitaine

763. Defection of Tassilo of Bavaria

767. Synod of Gentilly; the 4 Filioque ’ clause of the Creed

28 June. Death of Paul

CHAPTER X. PAPAL CHAOS.

Duke Toto of Nepi

28 June 767. His brother Constantine made Pope by a coup de main . Opposition of Christopher and Sergius

29 July 768. The Lombards, called in by Christopher and Sergius, threaten Rome . Toto slain. Constantine made prisoner . Abortive attempt to elect Philip . Election of Stephen III

CHAPTER XI. THE PONTIFICATE OF STEPHEN III.

Einhard and the Monk of St. Gall . Punishment of Constantine and his adherents

7 Aug. 768. Consecration of Stephen III

4 Sept 768. Death of Pippin . Charles the Great; his birth and boyhood . Pippin’s kingdom divided between his sons Charles and Carloman

769. Charles’s war in Aquitaine

12 April. Lateran synod ; trial of Constantine . Bertrada, the Frankish queen-mother

770 Bertrada's r journey into Italy; she arranges for Charles’s marriage with the daughter of Desiderius . Stephen III’s angry remonstrance .

771. Under the guidance of the chamberlain Paulus Afiarta the Pope himself goes over to the Lombard party . Desiderius at the gates of Rome . Christopher and Sergius captured and cruelly treated by Paulus Afiarta

771-772 Ascendency of Paulus Afiarta . Charles repudiates the daughter of Desiderius

Dec. 771. Death of Carloman .

3 Feb. 772. Death of Stephen III

CHAPTER XII. RAVENNA AND ROME.

716-752. John VI, archbishop of Ravenna

752-769. Sergius, archbishop of Ravenna . Disputed election after the death of Sergius: Michael and Leo

770. Leo archbishop

CHAPTER XIII. THE ACCESSION OF POPE HADRIAN.

Violence of Paulus Afiarta. Murder of Sergius

9 Feb. 772. Election of Hadrian . He shakes off the yoke of Paulus Afiarta . Quarrel with Desiderius . Carloman’s widow takes refuge at the Lombard court . Fate of Paulus Afiarta . Raids of Desiderius on Papal territory . Charles begins the Saxon War

358-360. Desiderius marches on Rome . He retires before the Papal anathema

CHAPTER XIV. END OF THE LOMBARD MONARCHY.

Unpopularity of Desiderius. Anselm of Nonantula . Diplomacy and War. . Charles opens the campaign against the Lombards . Desiderius retreats to Pavia

Oct 773-June 774. Siege of Pavia . Charles takes Verona . .Commendation ’ of the Spoletans to the Pope

Easter 774. Charles’s first visit to Rome . Fall of Pavia . Causes of the Lombard failure .