Book 5

Chapter XXXIX.

In fine, on a certain day when he was counting solidi upon a table, one tremisses [1] fell from that table, which the son of Aldo, who was yet a little boy, picked from the floor and gave back to this Alahis. Thinking that the boy understood but little, Alahis spoke to him as follows: "Your father has many of these which he is soon going to give me if God shall so will." When this boy had returned to his father in the evening, his father asked him if the king had said anything to him that day, and he reported to his father all the things as they had happened and what the king had said to him. When Aldo heard these things he was greatly concerned; and joining his brother Grauso he reported to him all the things the king had ill-naturedly said. And they presently took counsel with their friends and with those they could trust, in what way they might deprive the tyrant Alahis of his sovereignty before he could do them any injury. And later they set out to the palace and spoke to Alahis as follows: "Why do you deign to stay in town? See! all the city and the whole people are faithful to you, and that drunken Cunincpert is so broken up that he cannot now have any further resources. Depart and go to the hunt and exercise yourself with your young men, and we, with the rest of your faithful subjects, will defend this city for you. But we also promise you that we will soon bring you the head of your enemy, Cunincpert." And he was persuaded by their words and departed from the city and set out for the very extensive City forest, and there began to exercise himself with sports and huntings. Aldo and Grauso, however, went to Lake Comacinus (Como), embarked in a boat and proceeded to Cunincpert. When they came to him they threw themselves at his feet, acknowledged that they had acted unjustly against him and reported to him what Alahis had knavishly spoken against them and what counsel they had given him to his ruin. Why say more? They shed tears together and gave oaths to each other fixing the day when Cunincpert should come that they might deliver to him the city of Ticinum. And this was done, for on the appointed day Cunincpert came to Ticinum, was received by them most willingly and entered his palace. Then all the citizens, and especially the bishop and the priests also and the clergy, young men and old, ran to him eagerly and all embraced him with tears, and filled with boundless joy, shouted their thanks to God for his return; and he kissed them all as far as he could. Suddenly there came to Alahis one who announced that Aldo and Grauso had fulfilled all they had promised him and had brought him the head of Cunincpert, and not only his head, but also his whole body, for the man declared that he was staying in the palace. When Alahis heard this he was overwhelmed with dismay, and raging and gnashing his teeth, he threatened many things against Aldo and Grauso, and departed thence and returned through Placentia (Piacenza) to Austria [2] and joined to himself as allies the various cities, partly by flatteries, partly by force. For when he came to Vincentia (Vicenza) the citizens went forth against him and made ready for war, but presently they were conquered and were made his allies. Going forth from thence he entered Tarvisium (Treviso), and in like manner also the remaining cities. And when Cunincpert collected an army against him, and the people of Forum Julii (Cividalc),[3] on account of their fidelity, wished to march to Cunincpert's assistance, Alahis himself lay hid in the wood which is called Capulanus by the bridge of the river Liquentia (Livenza), which is distant forty-eight miles from Forum Julii and is in the way of those going to Ticinum, and when the army of the people of Forum Julii came, a few at a time, he compelled them all as they arrived to swear allegiance to him, diligently watching lest anyone of them should turn back and report this thing to the others who were approaching; and thus all those coming from Forum Julii were bound to him by oath. Why say more? Alahis with the whole of Austria, and on the other hand Cunincpert with his followers came and set up their camps in the field whose name is Coronate (Kornate) [4]

[1] A coin, the third part of a solidus, and worth, says Hodgkin, (VI, 308), about four shillings. Soetbeer (Forschungen zur Deutschen Geschichte, II, pp. 374 to 383) gives an account of the coins used by the Langobards. The mode of computation was the same as in the Greek jurisdiction of Ravenna (p. 374). The tremisses, not the whole solidus, was the common coin and those coined at Lucca after the time of the Ostrogothic kingdom (both before that city fell under the Langobards and afterwards down to 797), were an important medium of circulation. The average weight of the oldest of these coins was 1.38 grammes - corresponding with the Byzantine coins of the same period, while the coins of Lucca varied much in the fineness of the gold, from 23 carats, the Byzantine standard, down to 15—the average being perhaps 17 or 18 (pp. 375, 376, 380). After the subjection of Lucca (about the year 640) and before the names of the last Langobard kings, Aistulf and Uesiderius were placed upon the coins, that is during the period described in the text, the average weight was 1.33 grammes, while the fineness of the gold was very slightly reduced. Under Aistulf and Desiderius the average weight was 1.12 grammes. It is not possible to say which Langobard king first began to coin money. Rothari in his Edict made provision for the punishment of false coinage, but the first king whose monogram appears upon a tremisses is Grimuald (Hartmann, II, 2, 33), and the first king's portrait is that of Cunincpert. The duchy of Benevento had also a special coinage of its own (id).
[2] This name was used to designate the eastern part of the Langobard kingdom, and was often mentioned in the laws of king Liutprand (Waitz). Its western boundary was the Adda, and the land west of that stream was called Neustria, which, with a third division, Tuscia, constituted the main kingdom immediately subject to the king, as distinguished from the duchies of Spoleto and Benevento.
[3] It will be noticed here that the people of Forum Julii and not the duke is mentioned. This is one of the signs of the gradual decrease in the power of the dukes in the northern portions of the Langobard kingdom. (See note 3, Bk. II, Ch. 32 supra.)
[4] By the Adda, about ten miles southwest of Bergamo (Hodgkin, VI, 311).


Chapter XL.

Cunincpert dispatched a messenger to him, sending him word that he would engage with him in single combat; that there was no need of using up the army of either. To these words Alahis did not at all agree. When one of his followers, a Tuscan by race, calling him a warlike and brave man, advised him to go forth boldly against Cunincpert, Alahis replied to these words: "Cunincpert, although he is a drunkard and of a stupid heart, is nevertheless quite bold and of wonderful strength. For in his father's time when we were boys there were in the palace wethers of great size which he seized by the wool of the back and lifted from the ground with outstretched arm, which, indeed, I was not able to do." That Tuscan hearing these things said to him: "If you do not dare to go into a fight with Cunincpert in single combat you will not have me any longer as a companion in your support." And saying this he broke away and straightway betook himself to Cunincpert and reported these things to him. Then, as we said, both lines came together in the field of Coronate. And when they were already near, so that they were bound to join in battle, Seno, a deacon of the church of Ticinum, who was the guardian of the church of St. John the Baptist (which was situated within that city and which queen Gundiperga had formerly built), since he loved the king very much, and feared lest his sovereign should perish in war, said to the king: "My lord king, our whole life lies in your welfare. If you perish in battle that tyrant Alahis will destroy us by various punishments; therefore may my counsel please you. Give me a suit of your armor and I will go and fight with that tyrant. If I shall die, you may still re-establish your cause, but if I shall win, a greater glory will be ascribed to you, because you will have conquered by your servant." And when the king refused to do this, his few faithful ones who were present began to beg him with tears that he would give his consent to those things the deacon had said. Overcome at last, since he was of a tender heart, by their prayers and tears, he handed his cuirass and his helmet, and his greaves and his other arms to the deacon, and dispatched him to the battle to play the part of the king. For this deacon was of the same stature and bearing, so that when he had gone armed out of the tent he was taken for king Cunincpert by all. The battle then was joined and they struggled with all their might. And when Alahis pressed the harder there where he thought the king was, he killed Seno the deacon, and imagined that Cunincpert had been slain. And when he had ordered his head cut off so that after it was lifted upon a pike they should cry out " Thanks to God," when the helmet was removed, he learned that he had killed a churchman. Then crying out in his rage he said: " Woe is me! We have done nothing when we have brought the battle to this point that we have killed a churchman! Therefore, I now make this kind of a vow that if God shall give me the victory I will fill a whole well with the members of churchmen."


Chapter XLI.

Then Cunincpert, seeing that his men had lost, straightway showed himself to them, and taking away their fear, strengthened their hearts to hope for victory. Again the lines of battle formed and on the one side Cunincpert, and on the other, Alahis made ready for the struggles of war. And when they were already near so that both lines were joining to fight, Cunincpert again sent a message to Alahis in these words: "See how many people there are on both sides! What need is there that so great a multitude perish? Let us join, he and I, in single combat and may that one of us to whom God may have willed to give the victory have and possess all this people safe and entire." And when his followers exhorted Alahis to do what Cunincpert enjoined him he answered: "I cannot do this because among his spears I see the image of the holy archangel Michael [1] by whom I swore allegiance to him. "Then one of them said : " From fear you see what is not, and anyhow, it is now late for you to think of these things." Then when the trumpets sounded, the lines of battle joined, and as neither side gave way, a very great slaughter was made of the people. At length the cruel tyrant Alahis perished, and Cunincpert with the help of the Lord obtained the victory. The army of Alahis too, when his death was known, took the protection of flight. And of these whomsoever the point of the sword did not cut down the river Addua (Adda) destroyed. Also the head of Alahis was cut off and his legs were cut away and only his deformed and mangled corpse remained. The army of the people of Forum Julii was not in this war at all because, since it had unwillingly sworn allegiance to Alahis, for this reason it gave assistance neither to king Cunincpert nor to Alahis, but returned home when the two engaged in war. Then Alahis having died in this manner, king Cunincpert commanded that the body of Seno the deacon should be buried in great splendor before the gates of the church of St. John which the deacon had governed. The reigning sovereign himself indeed returned to Ticinum with the rejoicing of all and in the triumph of victory.

[1] The patron saint of the Langobards (Hartmann, II, 2, 25; Waitz).