An incredible destiny. Garibald II, duke of Bavaria, Garibald, duke of Turin, the Agilolfing family and their relations with the Lombard Kingdom in the 7th century

This article analyses some of the mechanisms that led King Grimoald (663–671) to obtain the royal title in the Lombard kingdom, examining his relationships with some of the key figures of the time. The main one is Garibald, Duke of Turin, who played a fundamental role in the king’s rise to power. Through a series of in-depth analyses linked to Paul the Deacon’s ‘Historia Langobardorum’ and to Fredegar’s ‘Chronicle’ and new clarifications, this article traces potential relationships with the Agilofing dynasty. Through a new hypothesis, it discusses and proposes to trace Duke Garibald of Turin and Grimoald’s mother, Romilda, with her descendants, back to this large aristocratic group active in the Frankish kingdom, in the duchies of Alemannia and Bavaria, and the Lombard kingdom. One of the central hypotheses of the contribution is the proposal to identify the Duke of Turin with his namesake Garibald II, Duke of Bavaria, who moved to one of the most prestigious duchies in the Lombard kingdom following the international crisis of 625–626. The result is a largely renewed picture, which seeks to overcome the numerous silences of Paul the Deacon. The events surrounding Grimoald’s appeal to Duke Garibald, ostensibily aimed at stabilising a kingdom fractured by fratricidal conflict among King Arioald I’s descendants, can also be interpreted as the manifestation of internal competition within the extended royal kin group of the Agilolfings, who were destined in the long term to be defeated by their main adversaries, the Pippinid-Arnolfing family.

L’articolo indaga l’ascesa al trono longobardo di Grimoaldo, re dal 663 al 671, e i suoi rapporti politici e familiari. Al centro dell’analisi è Garibald, duca di Torino, il cui sostegno fu decisivo per la conquista del potere. Attraverso Paolo Diacono e la cronaca di Fredegario, l’autore riesamina le vicende del VII secolo. Propone di identificare il duca torinese con Garibald II, duca di Baviera, scomparso dalle fonti dopo le crisi del 625-626. L’ipotesi collega il suo trasferimento in Italia alle tensioni politiche e alle incursioni slave in Baviera. Lo studio ricostruisce inoltre i legami tra Grimoaldo, sua madre Romilda e la dinastia degli Agilolfingi. Questa rete aristocratica operò nei regni franco e longobardo e nei ducati di Alemannia e Baviera. La vicenda di Grimoaldo viene così riletta alla luce delle rivalità tra gruppi dinastici e delle lotte per il potere. I silenzi di Paolo Diacono, confrontati con Fredegario, suggeriscono una trama politica più ampia di quella esplicitamente narrata. Ne emerge una nuova interpretazione della crisi dinastica longobarda e della competizione tra élite transalpine.