The Lombards were Arians. Unlike the Franks, who became by religious sympathy the natural defend- ers of the pope, they, with the Goths, Vandals, Bur- gundians, and Suevians, had been converted to Chris- tianity, about the end of the 5th century, by Arian mis- sionaries. Such was the case with the German tribes generally on the lower Danube. But there ^vere among them many, some of whom entered Italj^, who were still heathens, and Avorshipped their gods Odin and Freia south of the Alps. There were probably also some Catholic Pannonians and Noricans who, with their bish- ops, had joined the expedition. The first influence ex- erted by Rome for the conversion of the Lombards was through the wife of Alboin, a niece of Clovis, who was a good Roman Catholic, and had been enjoined by the bishop of Treves to convert her husband from his Arian heresy. Theodolinda of Bavaria also exerted a like in- fluence Hjion her husband Autharis, and under his reign the Catholic faith made considerable progress. On the death of Autharis (590), Theodolinda married Agilidf, and imder his government also she continued to labor for the advancement of the Catholic Church, hoping thereby to refine the manners of her own people. The- odolinda persuaded Agilulf to restore a portion of their property and dignities to the Catholic clergy, and to have his own son baptized according to the Catholic rites — an example which was followed by multitudes. Her brother Gundwald, duke of Asti, she influenced to build the magnificent Basilica of St. John the Baptist at ]Mon- za, near IMilan, in which in subsequent times was kept the Lombard crown, called the Iron Crown; indeed, she improved any and evcrv' opportunity to advance the in- terests of the Catholics, and thus hastened the success- ful establishment of their religion among the Lombards, Gregory the Great (590-604), founder of the papacy, maintained frequent correspondence with the queen in
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a friendly relation, similar to that existing between Gregory VII and the coiuitess Matilda. On the occa- sion of the baptism of her children she received a pres- ent from Gregory. Earlier he had sent her foiur Books of Dialogues, " because he knew that she was true to the faith in Christ, and strong m good works" (Paul. Diac. iv, 5).
If the Koman Church had met with material losses by the Lombard invasion, it now gained much for the power of the papacy in the more complete dependence with which all parts of Itah' began to look to Rome for a common defence of their faith. Rome became a certain centre of national life through the diffused power of its bishops, and what the Roman Empire had lost by arms the Roman Church was to regain by peaceful means. After Gregory's death Agilulf received the monk Co- lumban with great favor, and allowed him to settle where he would. At IMilan he wrote against Arianism. He founded the powerful monastery of Bobbia, which was subsequently very influential in the conversion of the Lombards. Grundeberg, daughter of Theodolinda, married successively the kings Ariowald and Rotharis. Under the latter there was a Catholic and Arian bishop in each city. Aribert (653-661), the son of duke Gun- dnald, was the first Catholic king. DiiUinger says of him, '-Rex Horibertus, plus et catholicus, Arrianorum abolevit liKresem et Christianam fidem fecit crescere." The Lombards became now enthusiastic churchmen ; many monasteries and churches were founded and rich- ly endowed. There was always, however, a certain de- gree of independence manifest among them. At the Lateran Council of 649, summoned by Martin I, Milan and Aquileia were not represented. A certain patri- archal and metropolitan prerogative was allowed the pope, with a due reservation of national liberty. In the latter half of the 7th century internal contests for the Lombard crown secured a greater degree of attach- ment to the Church, while tlie disputes of Rome with Constantinople brought the Lombards to the defence of the former. In the 8th century the powerful king Luit- prand (713-35), who raised the Lombard kingdom to its highest pirosperity, sought anxiously to complete the conciuest of all Italy, and before 800 it may be said that the national unity of Italy was complete. Each subject was called a Lombard. See Luitpkaxd. The Church was subject to the state. Though its clergy and bish- ops obtained increasing power, it was not of a political character as in France. The bishops wore subject to the king, and the inferior clergy to the subordinate judges. The bishops were chosen by the people. The cloisters were subject to magisterial power. But the prospect looming up before the popes of soon becoming themselves subject to the rule of the barbaric Lombards, they now entered upon that Machiavelian policy which they long incessantly pursued, of laboring to prevent a union of all Italy under one government, in order to secure for them- seh-es the greater power in the midst of contending par- ties. This, with the disputes which arose concerning the succession to the Lombard throne, led to the downfall of the Lombard kingdom within no long time after it had reached its utmost greatness. Gregory III, in his distress, fixed his gaze on the youthful greatness of a transalpine nation, the Franks, to afford him the nec- essary assistance in the struggle now ensuing. The movement against the Lombards was initiated at the election of Zachary, by discanhng the customary form of olitaining the consent of the exarchate's authority, at tills time vested in the Lombard king; and .Ste- phen II made way for Pepin, after having anointed him to tlie patriciate, i. c. the governorship of Rome, to make war ui)on Aistulf, the successor of Luitprand. Natu- rally enough, Pepin's military successes were all turned to the advantage of the pofie in securing to him the ex- archate and Pentai)olis. New causes of hostility be- tween the Frank and Lombard monarchs arose when Charlemagne sent back to her father his wife, the daugh- ter of the Lombard king Desiderius (754-774). In the