Byzantine–Lombard wars
| Byzantine–Lombard wars | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Barbarian invasions | |||||||||
Contemporary scene from the Isola Rizza dish | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Lombards | Byzantine Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Alboin Gisulf I of Friuli |
Smaragdus Callinicus Eutychius | ||||||||
The Byzantine–Lombard wars were a protracted series of conflicts which occurred from AD 568 to 750 between the Byzantine Empire and a Germanic tribe known as the Lombards. The wars began primarily because of the imperialistic inclinations of the Lombard king Alboin, as he sought to take possession of Northern Italy. The conflicts ended in a draw, as the Lombards were able to secure large parts of Northern Italy at first, eventually conquering the Exarchate of Ravenna in 750, though the Byzantines repelled their attempts to take all of Southern Italy.