The Kingdom of Desires an Italian Lombard TL

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On 768, the daughter of Desiderio of the Lombards[1] the King of Italy would marry the future Leo IV of the Eastern Roman Empire, creating an alliance between the Lombard Italian Kingdom and the Eastern Roman Empire, the Princess would take the name Epythimia taken from the meaning of the name of her father or her name and is fully known as Epythimia Desiderina.

She would foster the good relations between the Byzantines and the Lombards and she would be a good Empress and ended the Iconoclastic heresy in Constantinople and she would have two known children; Constantine (970) and Epythimia(972).

1. OTL Wife of Charlemagne

 

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On 772, the Eastern Roman Empire would start a war against the Frankish Empire under Charlemagne and pope Adrian I due to the family of Carloman seeking refuge in the Lombard Italian Kingdom which would end in the pope completely losing its territories outside of Latium and the Lombards would secure the rule of the Exrarchy of Ravenna, however his son Adelchis would die and the eldest son of his daughter, Adelperga, Grimoaldo would take the mantle of the heir of the Lombard Kingdom therefore completely uniting the Duchy of Benevento with the Lombard Kingdom on the death of Desiderio I of the Lombards and the King of Italy on 980, he would marry his cousin Epythimia who has the Exrarchate of Ravenna and all of the territories in the Italian peninsula as her dowry but Sicily would remain under the rule of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Ida, the daughter and only child of Carloman and Gerberga who would survive to adulthood would marry Constantine, the son of Leo IV creating a link between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Carolingians, she would take the name Alexandra as the wife of Constantine.[1]

1. Adelaide/Ida and Alexandra have a common nickname Alix so that would be a good pun so her taking the name Alexandra would be fitting.

 

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On 770, Charles I of Francia would marry Ildegarde of Vinzgau, she would have given him two sons named Charles(773) and Louis(778) and three daughters named Rotrude(775), Bertha(777) and Gisela(781).

Despite the win in Saxons lands, Charlemagne and Adrian I would experience defeat on the hands of the Italians and the Byzantines due to the Byzantine troops being employed by Desiderio and Adrian I and Charles I was forced to retreat but Charles I would be able to kill Adelchis, the son of Desiderio causing the the Kingdom of Italy ruled by the Lombards to pass to Grimoaldo of Benevento, causing the House of Benevento to rule Italy.

On 778, Charles I of Francia would conquer Barcelona with the assistance of the Kingdom of Asturias creating the Spanish March and his eldest daughter, Rotrude would marry Alfonso II of Asturias on 791 which would secure the alliance established between Asturias and Francia since 778.

 

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On the death of Desiderio on 790, his grandson, Grimoaldo would take over the Lombard Kingdom of Italy, his first action was to marry his sister, Theoderada to Charles, one of the heir of the Frankish kingdom and married Epythimia of the Byzantine Empire and married Ida the only surviving child of Carloman to Constantine V, Grimoaldo would move his capital to Rome despite the pope’s objections.

Epythimia and Grimoaldo would have two known children namely Arechi (792) and Maria(800).

Grimoaldo’s intrigues and the marriage of Theoderada to Charles would succeed when Charles I of Francia died on 814 as Francia is divided into two, Burgundy and Aquitaine went to his son Charles with Borges as Capital with his realm later called as the Kingdom of Aquitaine and Louis would have Eastern Francia with Regensburg as the Capital which would be called as the Kingdom of Germany and Neustria would be disputed between the two causing the Frankish realm to be unstable with the Italians benefiting and Grimoaldo I of Italy and Emperor Constantine VI playing the two brothers against each other which would continue even after his reign as his daughter Maria would marry Lothari I of Aquitaine, the son of Charles II of Aquitaine.

 

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On 840 on Louis I of East Francia’s death, death his kingdom would be divided into two namely to his sons, Charles and Pepin, Charles II of Neustria would expel the Aquitainians from their half of Neustria which would cause the Aquitainians ruled by Lothari I to focus south and expelling the moors from Iberia and it seemed that the strategy of Grimoaldo and his son Arechi I had worked against the Franks in the long run and the Empire of Charles I of Francia is no more.