Langobardia Minor

Langobardia Minor, also spelled as Longobardia Minor, was a historical name given to the Lombard domains in southern Italy during the Early Middle Ages, in order to distinguish those regions from the Langobardia Major in northern Italy. The scope of Langobardia Minor was corresponding to territories of southern Lombard duchies of Spoleto, Benevento, Salerno and their local dependencies. While the rule of Lombard kings over northern Langobardia Major was direct and effective, their control over southern Langobardia Minor and its dukes was mainly nominal. After the conquest of northern parts of the Lombard kingdom by Charlemagne in 774, its southern duchies in Langobardia Minor remained under control of local Lombard dukes, who preserved their autonomy, but occasionally sided or allied with the Carolingian or the Byzantine empires. After capturing some parts of Langobardia Minor, the Byzantines created a province (theme) called Langobardia. In the 11th century, during the Norman conquest of southern Italy, entire Langobardia Minor gradually came under the Norman rule, and the last Lombard Principality of Salerno fell in 1077, thus ending the Langobardia Minor.