- Aripert II
Aripert II (also spelled "Aribert") was the king of the
Lombards from 701 to 712. Duke ofTurin and son of KingRaginpert , and thus a scion of theBavarian Dynasty , he was associated with the throne as early as 700. He was removed byLiutpert , who reigned from 700 to 702, with the exception of the year 701, when Raginpert seized the throne. After his father's death, he tried to take the throne, too. He defeated Liutpert and theregent Ansprand 's men atPavia and captured the king, whom he later had strangled in his bath. He seized the capital and forced Ansprand over theAlps . He was firmly in power by 703.He thence reigned uninterrupted until his death. His reign was a troubled one. In 703, Faroald,
duke of Spoleto , attacked theExarchate of Ravenna , but Aripert refused to assist him, for he wanted good relations withpapacy and empire. He tried nevertheless to assert his authority over Spoleto andBenevento in theMezzogiorno . He nursed friendship withPope John VI by donating vast tracts of land in theCottian Alps to the Holy See. This friendship helped him little, for he had many rebellions to deal with and many Slovene raids intoVenetia .In 711,
Ansprand , whom he had exiled, returned with a large army from theduke of Bavaria , Theudebert. Many Austrians (the men of Venetia and the east) joined the returning regent and battle was joined by Pavia. Aripert fled to his capital when the tide went against him, but he horded the treasures and tried to cross over intoGaul by night. He drowned in the RiverTicino and Ansprand was acclaimed sovereign. He was the last Bavarian to wear the Iron Crown.-
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