Book 5

Chapter V.

At this time an army of the Franks, coming forth from Provincia (Provence), entered into Italy. Grimuald advanced against them with the Langobards and deceived them by this stratagem: he pretended indeed to flee from their attack and left his camp with his tents quite clear of men but filled with divers good things and especially with an abundance of excellent wine. When the troops of the Franks had come thither, thinking that Grimuald with the Langobards had been terrified by fear and had abandoned their whole camp, they straightway became merry and eagerly took possession of everything and prepared a very bountiful supper. And while they reposed, weighed down with the various dishes and with much wine and sleep, Grimuald rushed upon them after midnight and overthrew them with so great a slaughter that only a few of them escaped and were able with difficulty to regain their native country. The place where this battle was fought is called up to this time the Brook of the Franks [1] (Rivoli) [2] and it is not far distant from the walls of the little city of Asta (Asti).

[1] 'Rivus Francorum'.
[2] Not the same as the scene of Napoleon's victory.


Chapter VI.

In these days the emperor Constantine who was also called Constans, [1] desiring to pluck Italy out of the hand of the Langobards, left Constantinople' and taking his way along the coast, came to Athens, and from there, having crossed the sea, he landed at Tarentum. [2] Previously, however, he went to a certain hermit who was said to have the spirit of prophecy, and sought eagerly to know from him whether he could overcome and conquer the nation of the Langobards which was dwelling in Italy. The servant of God had asked him for the space of one night that he might supplicate the Lord for this thing, and when morning came he thus answered the emperor: "The people of the Langobards cannot be overcome in any way, because a certain queen coming from another province has built the church of St. John the Baptist in the territories of the Langobards, and for this reason St. John himself continually intercedes for the nation of the Langobards. But a time shall come when this sanctuary will be held in contempt and then the nation itself shall perish." We have proved that this has so occurred, since we have seen that before the fall of the Langobards, this same church of St. John which was established in the place called Modicia (Monza) was managed by vile persons so that this holy spot was bestowed upon the unworthy and adulterous, not for the merit of their lives, but in the giving of spoils.

[1] Constans II, or more correctly Constantine IV, was born A.D. 631, and became emperor in 642, when only eleven years old, on the death of his father Constantine III. During his reign the Saracens conquered Armenia (Hodgkin, VI, 253) and seized Cyprus and Rhodes. He fought in person a naval battle with them off the coast of Lycia in 655 and was defeated. In his reign the doctrine of the Monotheletes or those who maintained that there was only one will in the nature of the Saviour, agitated the empire, and popes and patriarchs wrangled bitterly upon the subject. His grandfather Heraclius had declared in favor of the Monothelete heresy, even pope Honorius (Hartmann, II, i, 217) at one time acquiesced in it though he deprecated the strife and desired the church to abide by its ancient formulas. Finally, Constans in 648 when only seventeen years of age issued his Type, forbidding controversy upon both sides. Pope Martin I, whose appointment lacked the confirmation of the emperor and who was regarded by the latter as a usurper, convened in 649, a council in the Lateran palace and anathematized the Type and its defenders (Hodgkin, VI, 255, 256). Constans regarded these proceedings as acts of rebellion and sent his chamberlain Olympius as exarch to Italy in 649 with directions to secure the acceptance of the Type and if possible to bring pope Martin a prisoner to Constantinople; but the exarch found public opinion and the disposition of the army so adverse that he was compelled to renounce the project, and soon afterwards became the ally of the Pope and the Italians (Hartmann, II, I, 227), and with their support assumed independent authority and led an army in Sicily against the Saracens where he died in 652 (id., p. 228). These acts were naturally regarded as an insurrection against the empire, and upon his death Constans sent Calliopas to Italy as exarch, who in June, 653, coming to Rome with the army from Ravenna, seized the Pope, who had taken refuge in the Lateran basilica, declared his deposition and sent him as a prisoner to Constantinople, where he arrived after long delays, was tried for treason, insulted, forced to stand as a public spectacle in the Hippodrome, was loaded with irons, immured in a dungeon and sentenced to death, but this was commuted to banishment in the Crimea. There he languished and died in 655 (Hodgkin, VI, 259-268). He was succeeded by Eugenius (A. D. 657) who was chosen Pope while Martin was still alive and Eugenius was followed by Vitalian (A.D. 657-672), who lived on terms of accommodation with the emperor, although there is no evidence that he abjured the doctrines of his predecessors (Hartmann, II, i, 232, 233). It was under Vualian that Constans' visit to Italy described in this chapter occurred.
[2] A.D. 662 (Hodgkin, VI, 270).
[3] A.D. 663 (Hodgkin, VI, 271).


Chapter VII.

Therefore after the emperor Constans, as we said, had come to Tarentum, he departed therefrom and invaded the territories of the Beneventines and took almost all the cities of the Langobards through which he passed. He also attacked bravely and took by storm Luceria, a rich city of Apulia, destroyed it and leveled it to the ground. Agerentia [1] (Acerenza), however, he could not at all take on account of the highly fortified position of the place. Thereupon he surrounded Beneventum with all his army and began to reduce it energetically. At that time Romuald, the son of Grimuald, still a young man, held the dukedom there and as soon as he learned of the approach of the emperor, he sent his tutor, Sesuald by name, to his father Grimuald on the other side of the Padus (Po) begging him to come as soon as possible and strongly reinforce his son and the Beneventines whom he himself had reared. When king Grimuald heard this he straightway started to go with an army to Beneventum to bring aid to his son. Many of the Langobards left him on the way and returned home saying that he had despoiled the palace and was now going back to Beneventum not to return. Meanwhile the army of the emperor was assaulting Beneventum vigorously with various machines of war and on the other hand Romuald with his Langobards was resisting bravely, and although he did not dare to engage hand to hand with so great a multitude on account of the smallness of his army, yet frequently dashing into the camp of the enemy with young men sent out for that purpose, he inflicted upon them great slaughter upon every side. And while Grimuald his father was now hastening on, he sent to his son to announce his approach, that same tutor of his of whom we have spoken. And when the latter had come near Beneventum he was captured by the Greeks and brought to the emperor, who asked of him whence he had come, and he said he had come from King Grimuald and he announced the speedy approach of that king. Straightway the emperor, greatly alarmed, took counsel with his followers in what way he could make a treaty with Romuald so as to return to Naples.

[1] A fortress on one of the outlying buttresses of Monte Vulture (Hodgkin, VI, 273).


Chapter VIII.

After he had taken as a hostage the sister of Romuald whose name was Gisa, he made peace with him. He ordered the tutor Sesuald indeed to be led to the walls, threatening death to him if he should announce anything to Romuald or the people of the city concerning the approach of Grimuald, and (demanding) that he should rather declare that the king could not come. He promised that he would do this, as was enjoined upon him, but when he had come near the walls he said he wanted to see Romuald. And when Romuald had quickly come thither he thus spoke to him: " Be steadfast, master Romuald, have confidence and do not be disturbed since your father will quickly come to give you aid. For know that he is stopping this night near the river Sangrus (Sangro) [1] with a strong army. Only I beseech you to have pity on my wife and children since this faithless race will not suffer me to live." When he had said this, his head was cut off by command of the emperor and thrown into the city by an instrument of war which they call a stone-thrower. [2] This head Romuald ordered brought to him and kissed it weeping and commanded that it should be buried in a suitable casket. [3]

[1] In the present province of Abruzzi (Waitz), about fifty miles from Benevento.
[2] 'Petraria'.
[3] All this as well as the two following chapters, seems inconsistent with the peace with Romuald mentioned in the first sentence of this chapter. Waitz suggests that possibly the peace was made after the incidents concerning Sesuald. - Possibly Paul combined in his history accounts taken from two contradictory sources.


Chapter IX.

Then the emperor, fearing the sudden approach of king Grimuald, broke up the siege of Beneventum and set out for Neapolis (Naples). Mitola, however, the Count of Capua, forcibly defeated his army near the river Calor (Calore), in the place which up to the present time is called Pugna (the fight).[1]

[1] The Calore flows a little east of Benevento. Camiilus Peregrinius believes that the river Sabatus (Sabato) is intended, which flows close to Beneventum, and near which Peter the Deacon recognizes this place called Pugna (Waitz).


Chapter X.

After the emperor came to Naples it is said that one of his chief men, whose name was Saburrus, asked for twenty thousand soldiers from his sovereign, and pledged himself to fight against Romuald, and win the victory. And when he had received the troops and had come to a place whose name is Forinus (Forino) [2] and had set up his camp there, Grimuald, who had already come to Beneventum, when he heard these things, wanted to set out against him. His son Romuald said to him: "There is no need, but do you turn over to me only a part of your army. With God's favor I will fight with him, and when I shall have conquered him a greater glory, indeed, will be ascribed of your power." It was done, and when he had received some part of his father's army, he set out with his own men likewise against Saburrus. Before he began the battle with him he ordered the trumpets to sound on four sides, and immediately he rushed daringly upon them. And while both lines were fighting with great obstinacy, a man from the king's army named Amalong, who had been accustomed to carry the royal pike, taking this pike in both hands struck violently with it a certain little Greek and lifted him from the saddle on which he was riding and raised him in the air over his head. When the army of the Greeks saw this, it was terrified by boundless fear and at once betook itself to flight, and overwhelmed with the utmost disaster, in fleeing it brought death upon itself and victory to Romuald and the Langobards. Thus Saburrus, who had promised that he would achieve for his emperor a trophy of victory from the Langobards, returned to him with a few men only and came off with disgrace; but Romuald, when the victory was obtained from the enemy, returned in triumph to Beneventum and brought joy to his father and safety to all, now that the fear of the enemy was taken away.

[1] Between Avellino and Nocera (Waitz), about twenty-five miles east of Naples.