Book 3

Chapter XXXV.

In the meantime, while king Authari's messengers were stopping in France, king Authari, after he had reigned six years, [1] died at Ticinum (Pavia) on the Nones (5th) of September [2] from poison he had taken, as they relate. And straightway an embassy was sent by the Langobards to Childepert, king of the Franks to announce to him the death of king Authari and to ask for peace from him. And when he heard this, he received the messengers indeed but promised that he would give peace at a future time. After some days, however, he dismissed the aforesaid messengers with the promise of peace. But because queen Theudelinda pleased the Langobards greatly, they allowed her to remain in her royal dignity, advising her to choose for herself whomsoever she might wish from all the Langobards; such a one, namely, as could profitably manage the kingdom. And she, taking counsel with the prudent, chose Agilulf, duke of the people of Turin as her husband and king of the nation of the Langobards, for he was a man energetic and warlike and fitted as well in body as in mind for the government of the kingdom. The queen straightway sent word to him to come to her and she hastened to meet him at the town of Laumellum (Lumello). [3] And when he had come to her, she, after some speech with him, caused wine to be brought, and when she had first quaffed it, she handed the rest to Agilulf to drink. And when he had taken the cup and had reverently kissed her hand, the queen said smiling with a blush, that he should not kiss her hand who ought to imprint a kiss upon her lips. And straightway raising him up to kiss her, she unfolded to him the subject of their marriage and of the sovereign dignity. Why say more? The nuptials were celebrated with great rejoicing and Agilulf, who was a kinsman of king Authari on the mother's side, [4] assumed the royal dignity at the beginning of the month of November. [5] Later however, in the month of May when the Langobards had met together in one place, he was raised to the sovereignty by all at Mediolanum.

[1] Seven years, says the Origo—six years and six months, says the Continuer of Prosper (Waitz).
[2] A. D. 590, a date which is well established (Hodgkin, V, 275, note 3).
[3] A little north of the Po, about twenty miles west of Pavia (Hodgkin, V, 283, note 2).
[4] Hartmann (II, I, 121) doubts this relationship.
[5] Waitz doubts this legend and believes that Agilulf obtained the crown by violence, citing the Origo and the Continuer of Prosper, but in these there is no actual contradiction of the text, as they simply say that Agilulf married Theudelinda and became king (Hodgkin, V, 283, note 4, 284). The fact, however, that the occurrences related must have taken place, if at all, within two months of the death of her first husband, detracts much from the charm of this otherwise delightful saga and adds something to its improbability (Hartmann, II, I, 98, 99). Most likely Agilulf seized the crown and married Theudelinda, the granddaughter of king Waccho, to acquire for his royal title some claim to legitimacy. Agilulf, one of the great kings of the Langobards, was said to be of Thuringian extraction, though it is possible this statement is due to a misunderstanding of his title as duke of Turin (Hartmann, II, I, 121). Theudelinda was descended on her father's side from the Bavarians, the former Marcomanni, who after a long sojourn to Bohemia, were settled in the region now known as Bavaria. Theudelinda virtually established a new dynasty in Italy and her descendants reigned down to the fifth generation (Hodgkin, V, 285, 286).