Book 3

Chapter XXVII.

At this time king Authari sent an army to Istria, which army Euin, duke of Tridentum (Trent), commanded. [1] And they, after plunderings and burnings, when peace had been made for one year, brought back a great sum of money to the king. Other Langobards too, besieged in the island of Comacina, [2] Francio, master of soldiers, who had been hitherto of the party of Narses and had already maintained himself for twenty years. This Francio, after he had been besieged six months, surrendered that island to the Langobards but he himself was released by the king, as he had desired, and hastened with his wife and his household goods to Ravenna. In this island many riches were found which had been deposited there by particular cities.

[1] Probably 587 (Hodgkin, V, 244).
[2] Read Comacina instead of Amacina (Waitz). Comacina was a small island in lake Como, a little Roman stronghold amid Langobard surroundings.


Chapter XXVIII.

The king Flavius Authari sent an embassy to Childepert asking that the sister of the latter should be united to him in marriage. But while Childepert accepted gifts from the ambassadors of the Langobards, and promised to give his sister to their king, yet when ambassadors of the Goths came from Spain he promised this same sister over again, because he had learned that that nation had been converted to the Catholic faith. [1]

[1] This was probably due to the intrigues of the queen mother Brunihilde, who, after suppressing an insurrection of the nobles of Austrasia, pursued a policy of alliance with the empire and the church rather than with the Langobards (Hartmann, II, I, 67, 68).


Chapter XXIX.

In the meantime he dispatched an embassy to the emperor Maurice sending him word that he would now undertake the war against the nation of the Langobards, which he had not done before, and in concert with the emperor, he would drive them out of Italy. And without delay he dispatched his army into Italy for the subjugation of the Langobards.[1] King Authari and the troops of the Langobards quickly went forth to meet him and fought bravely for their freedom. In that fight the Langobards won the victory; the Franks were vanquished by main force, many were captured, very many also escaped by flight and returned with difficulty to their own country. So great a slaughter was there made of the army of the Franks as is not related anywhere else. And it is truly astonishing why Secundus, who wrote a number of things concerning the doings of the Langobards, should pass over so great a victory of theirs as this, since these things of which we have spoken concerning the destruction of the Franks may be read in their own history, described in almost these very words. [2]

[1] Probably in 588 (Hodgkin, V, 260, z6i).
[2] Hartmann (II, I, 83) suggests that the silence of Secundus is due to the fact that the latter narrates principally the events that occurred in his own immediate neighborhood (in the valley of the Adige) and that the Franks probably crossed the Alps by some other route.


Chapter XXX.

But after these events king Flavius Authari sent ambassadors to Bavaria to ask for him in marriage the daughter of Garibald [1] their king. [2] The latter received them kindly and promised that he would give his daughter Theudelinda [3] to Authari. And when the ambassadors on their return announced these things to Authari, he desired to see his betrothed for himself and bringing with him a few but active men out of the Langobards, and also taking along with him, as their chief, [4] one who was most faithful to him, he set forth without delay for Bavaria. And when they had been introduced into the presence of king Garibald according to the custom of ambassadors, and he who had come with Authari as their chief had made the usual speech after salutation, Authari, since he was known to none of that nation, came nearer to king Garibald and said: "My master, king Authari has sent me especially on this account, that I should look upon your daughter, his betrothed, who is to be our mistress, so that I may be able to tell my lord more surely what is her appearance." And when the king, hearing these things, had commanded his daughter to come, and Authari had gazed upon her with silent approval, since she was of a very beautiful figure and pleased him much in every way, he said to the king: "Since we see that the person of your daughter is such that we may properly wish her to become our queen, we would like if it please your mightiness, to take a cup of wine from her hand, as she will offer it to us hereafter." And when the king had assented to this that it should be done, she took the cup of wine and gave it first to him who appeared to be the chief. Then when she offered it to Authari, whom she did not know was her affianced bridegroom, he, after drinking and returning the cup, touched her hand with his finger when no one noticed, and drew his right hand from his forehead along his nose and face.[5] Covered with blushes, she told this to her nurse, and her nurse said to her: "Unless this man were the king himself and thy promised bridegroom, he would not dare by any means to touch thee. But meanwhile, lest this become known to thy father, let us be silent, for in truth the man is a worthy person who deserves to have a kingdom and be united with thee in wedlock." For Authari indeed was then in the bloom of his youth, of becoming stature, covered with yellow hair and very comely in appearance. Having received an escort from the king, they presently took their way to return to their own country, and they speedily departed from the territories of the Noricans. The province of the Noricans indeed, which the Bavarian people inhabits, has on the east Pannonia, on the west Suavia (Swabia), on the south Italy and on the northern side the stream of the Danube. Then Authari, when he had now come near the boundaries of Italy and had with him the Bavarians who up to this time were conducting him, raised himself as much as he could upon the horse he was managing, and with all his strength he drove into a tree that stood near by, a hatchet which he carried in his hand and left it fixed there, adding moreover these words: "Authari is wont to strike such a blow." And when he had said these things, then the Bavarians who accompanied him understood that he was himself king Authari. [6] Then after some time, when trouble had come to king Garibald on account of an invasion by the Franks, Theudelinda his daughter with her brother, Gundoald by name, fled to Italy and announced to Authari, her promised bridegroom, that she was coming. And he straightway went forth to meet her with a great train to celebrate the nuptials in the field of Sardis [7] which is above Verona, and received her in marriage amid the rejoicing of all on the ides (15th) of May. Among other dukes of the Langobards, Agilulf, Duke of the city of Taurini (Turin) was then present. A certain tree in this place which was situated in the royal enclosures was hit during a violent gale by a stroke of lightning with great crash of thunder, and Agilulf had then as a soothsayer a certain servant of his who by diabolical art understood what future happenings strokes of lightning portended. When Agilulf was sitting down to the requirements of nature the man secretly said to him: "This woman who has just been wedded to our king is to be your wife before very long. "When he heard this he threatened to cut off the man's head if he said anything further about the matter, but the man answered him: "I may be killed, indeed, but assuredly that woman has come into the country to this destiny, that she should be joined with you in marriage." And it afterwards so happened. At this time, from what cause is doubtful, Ansul, a blood kinsman of king Authari was killed at Verona.

[1] From this name comes Garibaldi.
[2] That is, king of the Bavarians. He was more probably duke as he owed some sort of allegiance to Childepert, the Frankish king ofAustrasia (Hodgkin, V, 236, note 3).
[3] Theudelinda had been betrothed to Childepert (id.), and her sister was the wife of the Langobard duke Euin of Trent (III, 10, supra).
[4] Senior, see DuCange.
[5] Hodgkin translates more freely (V, 238): "Secretly intertwined her fingers with his, and bending low, guided them over the profile of his face from the forehead to the chin." According to Abel's version he stroked her face.
[6] In spite of this romantic legend it is probable that political considerations played no small part in the wooing of Authari. Theudelinda was, on her mother's side, the granddaughter of the former Langobard king Waccho, of the race of the Lethingi, with which Authari, who sprang from the later stock of Beleos, desired an alliance to give an additional sanction of legitimacy to his royal title. The relations of the Langobards to their northern neighbors the Bavarians had long been friendly, and after Authari had been compelled to renounce his intended alliance with the Franks by a marriage with Chlotsuinda, the sister of Childepert, he may well have desired to retain the friendship of the Bavarians, who although nominally subject to Childepert, had control of the passes over the eastern Alps, and could offer no slight obstacle to an invasion of Italy by the Franks. The powerful Uuke of Trent had married a sister of Theudelinda, and his hearty support in resisting the Franks was also necessary to the king (Hartmann, II, i, 68).
[7] This name cannot be identified. The place must have bees near Lago di Garda (Hodgkin, V, 239, note 2).