The Rule of the Dukes was the decade-long interregnum from 574 or 575 which affected the Lombard kingdom in Italy after the death of Cleph. The Lombards enterred the peninsula in 568 under Alboin. Under Alboin's successor, Cleph, they conintued to expand against the Byzantines. However, Cleph's reign was short and his rule hard. Upon his death, the Lombards did not elect another leader king and the territorial dukes were the highest authorities in the land. However, the dukes were unable to organise themselves under a single leader capable of continuing their successes againt the Empire. When they invaded Merovingian Provence (584 or 585), the Frankish kings Guntram and Childebert II invaded Lombardy, took Trent, and opened negotiations with Tiberius II. Finally, tired of disunion, fearing a pincer from the Greeks and the Franks, and lacking the leadership necessary to withstand it, the dukes elected a king, Authari. They ceded to Authari the old capital of Pavia and half of their ducal demesnes, though the fidelity to oath with which this last promise was carried out is suspect. Authari successfully consolidated the Lombard realm against enemies on all sides throughout his reign. Events Emperor Justin II retires, choosing Tiberius II Constantine as his heir. ... Events June 2 - Benedict succeeds John III as Pope The Kingdom of East Anglia founded by the Angle groups North Folk and South Folk, naming the places of Norfolk and Suffolk, respectively. ... The Lombards (Latin Langobardi, from which the alternative name Longobards found in older English texts), were a Germanic people originally from Northern Europe that entered the late Roman Empire. ... Cleph or Clef (in Italian, Clefi) was king of the Lombards from 572 or 573 to 574 or 575. ... Events April 1 - King Alboin leads the Lombards into Italy; refugees fleeing from them go on to found Venice. ... Alboin or Alboïn (d. ... Byzantine Empire (Greek: ) is the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... Also see: France in the Middle Ages. ... Provence is a former Roman province and is now a region of southeastern France, located on the Mediterranean Sea adjacent to Frances border with Italy. ... Events The Visigoths conquer the Suevi kingdom in Spain. ... Events Famine in Gaul. ... Guntram I(c. ... Childebert II (570-595), king of Austrasia, was a son of Sigebert I. When his father was assassinated in 575, Childebert was taken from Paris by Gundobald, one of his faithful leudes, to Metz, where he was recognized as sovereign. ... Lombardy (Italian: Lombardia) is a region in northern Italy between the Alps and the Po river valley. ... Trent is the name of several places: Trento in Italy, famous for the Roman Catholic Council of Trent Trent, Texas, USA Trent, South Dakota, USA Trent, Dorset, UK Rivers: River Trent in the UK, or one of several other Trent Rivers Other: Trent jet engine family manufactured by Rolls-Royce... Tiberius II Constantine, wearing consular robes. ... Authari was the king of the Lombards. ... Church San Michele in Pavia The Old Bridge (Ponte Vecchio) on the Ticino river is a symbol of Pavia Pavìa (the ancient Ticinum) (population 71,000) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its...

Among the known reigning dukes of the times were:

• Zotto, duke of Benevento
• Vallari, duke of Bergamo
• Alagis I, duke of Brescia
• Gisulf I, duke of Friuli
• Faroald I, duke of Spoleto
• Aimone, duke of Turin

Zotto (also Zotton or Zottone) was the military leader (Latin dux) of the Lombards in the Mezzogiorno. ... This is as list of the Dukes and Princes of Benevento (see Duchy of Benevento), it is one of Wikipedias Lists of Incumbents. ... Bergamo: Citta Alta View of Bergamo Bergamo is a town in Lombardy, Italy, about 40km northeast of Milan. ... Location within Italy Brescia is a city in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy with a population of around 200,000. ... Friulian Coats of Arms Friuli (Furlan: Friûl, German: Friaul, Slovenian: Furlanija) is an area in northeastern Italy, comprising the major part of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia. ... The independent Duchy of Spoleto in southern Italy was a Lombard territory founded about 570 by the Lombard dux Faroald. ... Turin (Italian: ; Piedmontese: Türín) is a major industrial city in north-western Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the west bank of the Po River. ... Cleph or Clef (in Italian, Clefi) was king of the Lombards from 572 or 573 to 574 or 575. ... The Lombards (Latin Langobardi, from which the alternative name Longobards found in older English texts), were a Germanic people originally from Northern Europe that entered the late Roman Empire. ... Events Emperor Justin II retires, choosing Tiberius II Constantine as his heir. ... Events The Visigoths conquer the Suevi kingdom in Spain. ... Authari was the king of the Lombards. ...

Sources

• Oman, Charles. The Dark Ages 476-918. London, 1914.