“I was planning to personally deliver the letter to Patriarch Cristoforo, with your permission, of course,” Ioannicio explained. “I believe we need to keep an eye on that lagoon. It’s not waste land anymore, and it is starting to encroach on our commercial revenues…”
“If you wish, I grant you permission to travel to that forsaken marshland…” Exarch Theodoros replied. “My main concern is this new alliance between the Pope and the new Longobard King, Perctarit ‘the Catholic’…”
“Why is that a cause of concern? That is a good thing!” Ioannicio commented.
“I guess… but you see, our Emperor Constantinos IV had made concessions to the Pope because, at the time, we needed him as an ally against the Grimwald threat…”
“Yes, and that was a smart move! Don’t you think?” Ioannicio insisted.
“It was a necessary move to contain the Longobard menace, but now with King Perctarit, what kind of peril do we really have?”
“None! Thank goodness!” Ioannicio replied. “Right now the Byzantine Empire is weak, and the Emperor is focusing on not losing Constantinople to the Arabs! We would not have the strength to fight the Longobard as well! Perctarit’s take over was a blessing! Imagine if, say, Duke Alachis of Tridentum took over the Longobard Kingdom of Italy!”
“Sure, but…” Exarch Theodoros replied, “…if we are allied with the Pope, and the Pope is openly allied with the Longobard King, by transitivity we are allied with the Longobards!”
“Indirectly, yes…” Ioannicio agreed.
“For the spread of the true religion, that’s a good thing, but militarily, aren’t we trying to take back control of all land that has been lost over the decades?”
“My Exarch, if I may… the Longobards have settled here over a century ago. They are here to stay. Militarily we must coexist, religiously the Pontiff’s guidance must prevail, and that battle is still not won…”
“What do you mean?” Exarch Theodoros asked.
“Well, there is an internal divide within Longobard ranks. Perctarit heads the Catholic faction, which is supported by all dukes to the west, but to the east, the Arian heretics are still strong. All those dukes, of Friuli, of Ceneda, of Tarvisium, of Vicetia, of Verona… they are all following the Duke of Tridentum!”
“I see, so Perctarit represents only half the Longobards, and he is our indirect ally, while our foes are the others, Duke Alachis and the other Arian heretics…”
“Yes, and Duke Alachis will be squashed, do you know why?” Ioannicio added.
“Why?”
“Perctarit is going to attack Alachis and…”
“Oh, I am not sure he is strong enough to prevail…” Exarch Theodoros interrupted.
“Wait!” Ioannicio continued. “The news is that the Pope has arranged an alliance with the Bavarians!”
“The Bavarians! Oh boy! They will attack Duke Alachis from the north! Alachis stands no chance of holding off the Longobard King on one side, and the mighty Bavarians on the other!”
“Exactly, but we have to do our part…” Ioannicio suggested.
“Our part? There is no way I will send Byzantine soldiers to fight all the way up there in the middle of the Alps!” Exarch Theodoros disagreed.
“No, we need to do our part here in the Adriatic…”
“What do you mean?”
“You see, a military victory is only temporary, because Duke Alachis can be replaced by another duke. What we need is commercial supremacy to choke off their livelihood and force them to rely on Catholic Ravenna…”
“Isn’t it like this already?” Exarch Theodoros objected.
“Not really… the northeast of the Kingdom of Italy has been flourishing thanks to the traders in the Venetian lagoon!” Ioannicio explained.
“Well we must put a stop to that!” The Exarch exclaimed.
“A military show of force at the moment is not advisable,” Ioannicio recommended. “We are thin due to the support our military is giving to Constantinople. But we can force them to have all trade go through Ravenna…”
“Good! What do you have in mind?” Exarch Theodoros asked.
“I have a plan, and that’s why I intend to take a trip to Heraclia and Grado myself…”
Chapter 23
TRAPPED IN TRIDENTUM
It was early summer, and a solitary Longobard warrior was galloping north in a wide valley surrounded by steep rocky mountains. He was approaching his destination: the town located in a wider portion of the valley. A guard posted at Tridentum’s town wall spotted the incoming visit and yelled:
“Horseman approaching the south wall!”
After observing the horseman get closer, the guard yelled again:
“It’s a sentinel from the Duchy of Verona!”
As the sentinel arrived, he was immediately escorted into the main hall where Duke Alachis, Adalulf and other Tridentum warriors were waiting. The sentinel bowed to Duke Alachis and began delivering his message:
“Duke Alachis! The Duke of Verona sent me to warn you of an imminent threat. A Longobard army is approaching from the west. It has just passed Lake Gard, and it is now coming up the Athesis Valley!”
“It’s King Perctarit!” Duke Alachis replied, sure of himself. “He has finally found the guts to advance… I guess he did not like my reply about his bishops! Heh, heh…”
“How should we confront him?” Adalulf asked. “Should we move our men down and fight him in the open, or should we wait within Tridentum?”
“I want him to come up north as much as possible,” Duke Alachis replied. “We will wait for him in Tridentum, and if our allies, the Duke of Verona and the Duke of Vicetia respect our pact, and come up the valley, King Perctarit will be bottled in and end up being sour vinegar!”
“What message do I need to bring back to my Duke?” The Verona sentinel asked.
“Tell him to hurry up!” Duke Alachis abruptly replied. “But don’t go down the way you came, or you will splat into King Perctarit’s army! Take the mountain route to Vicetia. Don’t worry, the Cimbrians won’t bite you… Isn’t that right Adalulf? Heh, heh…”
As the Verona sentinel was preparing to leave, another Tridentum guard barged in:
“Duke Alachis! Duke Alachis!”
“What is it!?”
“A large army is approaching from the north!”
“The north!? You mean the south!” Duke Alachis replied incredulous.
“No, my Duke! They are approaching from the north and they are many!”
“Is it possible that King Perctarit went around somehow, and he is trying to surprise us?” Adalulf asked.
“That’s impossible!” Duke Alachis quickly replied. “The mountains are too high and it will take him forever to go all the way around! I need to see with my own eyes!”
Everyone left the hall and moved to the north wall. By the time they got there, the northern army was close enough to leave no doubt on who they were.
“Bavarians!” Duke Alachis shouted.
“Bavarians?” A bewildered Adalulf asked.
“Those bastard German Catholics!” Duke Alachis continued. “They must have made a holy alliance to expunge us! This is bad!”
“We just need to hold on both fronts until Verona and Vicetia come to help!” Adalulf suggested.
“It will be too late! The Verona sentinel is still here! It will take them at least a week to assemble everyone and make it all the way up here! I don’t know if we will last a week! These are not Byzantines; these are Bavarians we are talking about!”
“Then I guess this is it…” Adalulf commented.
Adalulf sounded almost relieved about the possibility of fighting his final battle. In some way, he preferred to meet his end in battle than in any other way. If he had to reconnect with his sons in the afterlife, he wanted to go down glori
ously as a Longobard warrior should.
“This might very well be it, but I am going to make it as painful as possible for King Perctarit!” Duke Alachis remarked.
The Duke started walking away from the wall, and then turned around to dictate the battle plan:
“We need to split in two! Adalulf! You take half the men and you will guard the north wall! I will defend the south wall!”
“I get to fight the Bavarians!?” Adalulf jokingly objected.
“Well, I am the Duke, the first in command, and I must face off against King Perctarit… Sorry!”
Duke Alachis smiled at Adalulf and walked away with half the men. Adalulf began to give orders on how to reinforce the wall and to position the archers.
To the south, King Perctarit’s army was now visible as well, and soon Duke Alachis would be engaged in battle. Meanwhile, the Bavarians reached striking distance on the north side, and Adalulf was already rallying his men:
“Warriors! Do you know why they call us Longobards?”
The question was rhetorical as everyone knew about their heritage.
“We are the warriors of the long spears! Not just because we use them to down horsemen, or as horsemen to reach ground soldiers! Our enemies fear our spears that fly like arrows and shatter all shields!”
Knowing that the Bavarians were at striking distance, Adalulf took his spear, and after a few strides, he launched it over the wall right in the middle of the advancing horde. Hearing a scream of pain coming from the Bavarian frontline, Adalulf continued:
“Their shields might protect them from arrows, but no one can stop our spears!”
The warriors roared and they all launched their spears over the wall to the advancing Bavarian army. Nevertheless, despite incurring some losses, the Bavarians reached the north wall, and were ramming on the gate with a large pointed log. The Bavarian soldiers, swinging the wooden ram, were protected by other soldiers, holding their shields up to the incoming Longobard arrows, rocks and whatever spears were left.
Outside the south wall, King Perctarit’s army was still assembling for battle. Garipald, the Duke of Turin, approached King Perctarit.
“My King! My men are also ready and we are waiting for your order to charge the wall!”
“No… for now we will keep them engaged just with archers,” King Perctarit replied. “We just want to keep half of them busy over here and have the Bavarians do the bulk of the work.”
“This way we don’t risk our men’s lives?” Duke Garipald asked.
“Once the Bavarians breach the north wall,” the King continued, “…and they will breach it, Duke Alachis will have to cover his back, and that’s when we will attack! He will be crushed by both sides…”
On the inside of the south wall, Duke Alachis was pacing nervously. They were fairly well protected from incoming arrows, and they responded in kind with their archers. He had to keep his forces there, because if he left the south wall, King Perctarit would definitely attack. But he did not like stalling there while Adalulf and the warriors at the north wall were taking on the full force of the mighty Bavarians.
In the meanwhile, the Bavarians had finally breached the north wall. They rammed the gate open, and now there was a narrow opening for them to plunge in. It was like wasps trying to enter a beehive. They were stronger, but they had the disadvantage of having to enter a few at the time while facing several ‘bees’ at once.
“Hold your position!” Adalulf shouted. “Hold your position! Concentrate all forces on the breach! We must contain them there!”
As he was shouting orders, his instinct prevailed. He barged in front, setting the example, forgetting he was way past his prime. He was still not fully recovered from the exhausting battle he had had with Grimwald the previous fall. In his prime, he could defeat three or four adversaries before even finding someone worthy of a challenge. Now he was having trouble with the first Bavarian warrior he faced. The German was younger, taller and stronger than he was. Adalulf found himself taking cover under his shield while the Bavarian banged his axe on top of it. He counterattacked with his sword to keep the Bavarian alert and not completely on the offensive. Overall, Adalulf was retreating, and if he was holding on, it was only thanks to other Longobards next to him, who were also protecting the wall breach.
Duke Alachis was getting more nervous. He saw the breach. He knew that the Bavarians would prevail unless he brought all his men to the north wall for support. However, if he did so, he might as well leave the south gate open for King Perctarit to advance. One army on only one front would have been an even battle, but having to face two armies… Duke Alachis did not see a way out.
What he knew was that he was not going to wait for the Bavarians to finish off Adalulf and his men, and then end up with the same fate, crushed by both King Perctarit and the Bavarians. That was it. He knew he had been outsmarted tactically, but he was an erratic man, and as a proud duke with a very bad temper, he reacted with rage.
“Get the horses ready!” Duke Alachis commanded. “We are exiting the walls!”
“What? Are we escaping?” A warrior to the Duke’s side asked.
“No! We are not escaping!” Duke Alachis answered. “If we are going to die, I am going to bring the battle to King Perctarit!”
Sure enough, the south gate opened and Duke Alachis and his men began to charge toward King Perctarit under a rainstorm of arrows. The horses were armored, and so were the horsemen. While a few arrows hit several soldiers, Duke Alachis managed to advance and engage the first line of offense of King Perctarit’s army.
On the north wall, things were not looking good for Adalulf. The breach was getting bigger. There were several Bavarian casualties, but now many more were entering. They were being overwhelmed and they were getting tired as new and fresh Bavarians entered. And the most tired of them all was Adalulf. He was now confronted by what could be considered a giant. From Adalulf’s perspective this Bavarian could very well have been a seven footer. His axe was bigger than average, and as he swung it toward the old Longobard warrior, he broke Adalulf’s shield in half. Adalulf immediately held on to the Bavarian’s arm to hold the axe down, and swung out his sword, only to be punched to the ground half conscious. Other Longobards came to the rescue while Adalulf found his bearings and threw himself back into the mix.
On the south side, King Perctarit was taken by surprise by Duke Alachis’ move. His men were not lined up for an open field battle, and Duke Alachis was unexpectedly gaining ground.
“Duke Garipald! Send in the second line of defense!” King Perctarit ordered.
“Yes, my King!”
Duke Garipald rounded up his men and he charged right into the middle of the battleground. It was not the best of strategies, as King Perctarit was gradually confronting Duke Alachis, instead of swarming him and overwhelming him with all his forces. Duke Alachis’ forces were weakening, as a prolonged battle was causing more casualties, and in addition, the warriors were becoming exhausted. Duke Garipald galloped toward Duke Alachis, who was on foot holding just his sword and shield. Duke Garipald thrusted out his spear, and Duke Alachis, instead of taking cover with his shield, let the spear slide to his side and then locked it under his arm. He then pivoted with his whole body and managed to catapult Duke Garipald off his horse. Duke Alachis then ran toward Duke Garipald with his sword ready to strike and finish him off, but Duke Garipald’s men were quick to come and rescue and protect their Duke.
As a surprising turn of events, Duke Alachis was overcoming even the second line of King Perctarit’s warriors. As King Perctarit watched from a few hundred yards away, he noticed Duke Garipald jumping onto his horse and riding back toward him. Once he reached his King, he shouted:
“We need to all attack him at once! We need to engulf them! They are relentless!”
“No! We slowly retreat and have him chase us…” King Perctarit repl
ied.
As King Perctarit and Duke Garipald turned their horses and started to flee, Duke Alachis’ men shouted in victory. Duke Alachis found his horse and incited his men to follow him and chase King Perctarit to finish him off. A warrior next to Duke Alachis then pointed out:
“Duke Alachis! If we chase King Perctarit, when we come back there won’t be any Tridentum to defend!”
Duke Alachis halted his horse and looked back. Adalulf was losing and it was not certain that he was even still alive. He could end up chasing King Perctarit for hours. He might have his moment of glory against the King of Italy, but he would lose his town to the Bavarians.
Back at the north wall, the Bavarians were now half way inside the walls. Now it was an even battle, and every Longobard warrior had to deal with a Bavarian warrior man to man. Unfortunately for Adalulf, he was facing the giant Bavarian who had already killed, in front of his eyes, the three Longobards who had come to his rescue. The Bavarian had lost his axe, but Adalulf had been disarmed of his sword when he was punched. Adalulf was holding his dagger while the giant was advancing with his arms ready to wrestle. ‘I cannot just retreat’ Adalulf thought. ‘If this is it, this is it.’ He lunged at his adversary with the dagger, but the Bavarian grabbed his forearm. Adalulf managed to wound the Bavarian’s arm. It was more than a scratch, but it was not stopping the Bavarian from squeezing his wrist so hard that his dagger dropped to the ground. With his other hand, Adalulf punched the Bavarian in the face as hard as he ever did, but without any real effect. The Bavarian now was holding Adalulf’s neck with both hands and he was trying to either break his neck or suffocate him. His face all red, with one hand Adalulf was trying to release the grasp, while with the other he was hitting the Bavarian’s face as hard as he could. He was attempting to poke him in the eyes, but the Bavarian was holding his head back and moving it around to avoid any injury. Adalulf’s arms were just too short. He managed to kick the Bavarian in the knee and get a momentary release of the grasp around his neck. But it was only temporary. Now the Bavarian was even more enraged. Still holding Adalulf by the neck, the giant slammed him onto the ground and put his knee and all his weight over Adalulf’s stomach. He held his elbows over Adalulf’s biceps and continued with the chokehold. Adalulf was helplessly flapping his hands and forearms but could not reach anything. His face was red turning toward blue. He had to give up. In those final moments, Adalulf was not thinking of his wife, Hermetruda. He was thinking of his four deceased sons. Deprived of air and blood circulation, the surroundings went silent. Adalulf’s thoughts relived all over again the suffering of having to bury his sons, one after the other. He was very proud of them, but never had a chance to tell them. He was too tough of a father, and he excessively pushed them to prove their valor. And he had never rewarded them. Now he would have a chance to tell them, to ask for forgiveness, to be the father he wasn’t, to hug them again in a timeless peace where war made no sense and warriors were just like any other soul.
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