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Secondary sourceBookafter 787, before 796

History of the Lombards

Paul the Deacon · after 787, before 796

An 8th-century history by Paul the Deacon, a monk of Monte Cassino, recording the Lombard destruction of Benedict's abbey and the removal of his relics.

This history by a monk of Benedict's own monastery records the destruction of Monte Cassino and the fate of Benedict's relics.

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Close-up of a manuscript page in dense handwritten Latin minuscule on aged, yellowed parchment. Dark brown ink, with some ruled lines and decorated initial S at left margin. Text is continuous with no illustrations.
Paul the Deacon, History of the Lombards, manuscript copy (11th century), M I 496.

About this source

What it is

The History of the Lombards is the chief work of Paul the Deacon, a monk likely writing at Monte Cassino, composed after 787 and no later than 796. It is an incomplete history in six books covering the Lombards from their origins to the death of King Liutprand in 743.

Why it matters

As a monk of Monte Cassino, the monastery founded by Benedict of Nursia, Paul the Deacon recorded the Lombard sack of the abbey and the transfer of Benedict's relics, giving an early written account of what happened to Benedict's foundation after his death. The work survives in many medieval manuscript copies, showing how widely it was read in the Middle Ages.

Look closer

  • Why might a monk of Monte Cassino have been especially interested in recording the history of the Lombards?
  • How does an account written over two centuries after Benedict's death differ from a source written in his own lifetime?
  • What biases might a 'Lombard patriot', as Paul is described, bring to this history?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Saint Benedict on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Open pages of a medieval Latin manuscript on aged parchment, with handwritten black text in columns, red initials and rubrics, and a large decorated illuminated initial on the left page. The text appears to be a copy of a monastic rule.Book

Primary source

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Secondary source

Monte Cassino

founded c. 529/530

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Secondary source

Fresco Cycle of the Life of St Benedict at Monte Oliveto Maggiore

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Reliquary of Saint Benedict at Fleury

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Plan of Saint Gall

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