![]() Map of Lombard Kingdom after Aistulf's conquests (751 AD), according to Paulus the Deacon's Historia Langobardorum. This could be linked to one of the many names of their chief god Odin, Langbarðr (Langbard), whose protection they probably claimed to possess. Some sources state that they chose to change their name to Longobards only after their victory against the neighboring Vandals. He further states that they were a small tribe but that they had a great reputation for being fierce and warlike. The Roman historian Tacitus writes of them as living on the banks of the river Elbe and describes them as being “remote” and very aggressive. Civita di Bagnoregio - Italy’s Most Enchanting and Surreal Ancient Town Is DyingĪs Longobards, the Lombards are first mentioned around the 1st century AD.8 Notorious Vikings Who Left Their Bloody Marks on History.They eventually come into contact and conflict with other Germanic tribes they met on the way but always manage to come out on top. Around this time, they begin their southerly migrations, in search of new and better lands to live in. They were settled in southern Scandinavia until around the 4th century AD. It is mentioned in ancient historical records that the Lombards originally dwelt in southern Scandinavia, where they were a small tribe called the Winnili. ![]() And in the Migration Period a large influx of “barbarian” tribes populated devastated Roman areas and moved across the borders of former Roman territories. This is a time when Europe saw the decline of the Western Roman Empire. The Lombards’ origins of prominence undoubtedly lie in the Migration Period. Ancient sources mention that the Lombards called themselves the Winnili at first, which could possibly be a Proto-Germanic variant of the word “wolves.” However, after their migrations and conflicts with other tribes, they quickly became known as the Longobards (from which Lombard stems), and they remained known as such. It is reportedly a name that these men gave to themselves, which was “longbeards.” A more probable version is that the name was given to them by their enemies and neighbors, chiefly due to their distinctive long beards. The name “Lombard” is a derivation from two Proto-Germanic words: langaz (long) and bardaz (beard). This is just one of the many geographical and cultural remnants that the Germanic Lombards left on the Italian Peninsula. The Lombard name might sound familiar as many know of the Lombardy region of Italy and its capital, Milan. (Emil Doepler / Public domain ) What is the Earliest Mention of the Lombards? The Scandinavian gods Wodan and Frigga of the early Lombards looking down from the heavens to the Winnili women below, from a 1905 AD painting by Emil Doepler. In the process, the Lombards became a major thorn in the side of the Byzantine Empire or the Eastern Roman Empire and its capital Constantinople. One of the smaller tribes from the Migration Period, the Lombards fought their way across Europe before settling on the northern part of the Italian Peninsula, where they would establish a powerful kingdom that grew rapidly. From the seafaring Vikings to the militaristic Saxons, and all the way to the Cherusci and their allies who stood in the path of Rome, the Germanic peoples were many and always proud. From their oldest roots, they developed into iconic ethnic groups that were instrumental in the future of the world as we know it. As the Roman Empire crumbled, the history of the ancient world was undoubtedly marked and shaped by more than one powerful Germanic tribe.
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