![[Media/Vipava_valley_from_Nanos.jpg]] *The Vipava Valley in Slovenia, through which Alboin led the Lombards into Italy* Although Justinian succeeded in reunifying much of the old Roman Empire, his victory was fleeting. The reduced population weakened the Mediterranean region's defenses against adversaries from remoter parts of Europe that had not been affected by plague. The Lombards were a Germanic people originally from Scandinavia, who had worked as *foederati* for the Byzantines against the Ostrogoths. Justinian's death in 565 reduced Byzantine interest in Italy, and in 568 the Lombard king Alboin led an army of about 100,000 into an unprepared Italy. After seizing several northern cities like Milan and Verona, the Lombards ignored most of the coastal Byzantine strongholds like Ravenna. Instead, they controlled the countryside and established loosely affiliated duchies such as Lombardy, Spoleto, and Benevento, which fragmented Italy and according to some historians set a precedent for a more decentralized medieval Europe. The Lombard kingdom lasted until Charlemagne's conquest in the late 8th century (which we'll discuss in the next chapter). ![[Media/Nuremberg_chronicles_f_147v_1.jpg]] ----- Next: [[9.7 - Sui Dynasty]] Back: [[9.5 - Plague]]