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Looking at the old Migration period Germanic peoples that streamed into Western Europe of them really only the Franks have more or less 'survived' with a second running to the Angle/Saxons. Those groups like Lombards became absorbed into much larger states or assimilated to the point where they were not the distinct group in Europe.
So how can we have the Lombards survive as a distinct group from the Italians (maybe even absorb some Italians)?