ABSTRACT
The Lombards scarcely appeared to be destined some day to play an important part in the history of Europe. Re nowned as early as the first century for their valour and ferocity, but few in numbers and not very powerful,2 they occupied on the lower reach of the Elbe only the small terri tory which kept their name, Bardengau (Longo-bardengau), round what is now Luneburg. After the great invasions, we find them in the centre of Europe, in Pannonia. They fought fiercely against other neighbouring Germanic peoples, the Heruls (East of Bohemia) and the Gepids. They finally exterminated them (567), but only by allying themselves with a Turkish people, the Avars, who succeeded the Huns. They did not seem dangerous to the Empire, which they supplied with mercenaries ; the army of Narses which won Italy from the Ostrogoths was, as we have seen, largely composed of Lombards.
