Abstract
In the sixth century the Roman Empire was in a deplorable state. For more than a hundred years, Italy had been divided between the Lombards and the Empire: The king of the Lombards lived at Pavia, the Imperial Exarch at Ravenna. The Emperor of Byzantium ruled over Romagna, Ferrara, and five cities on the Adrxatic, three subordinate provinces of Rome, Venice and Naples with neighboring territory, the islands of Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia. The power of his representative the Exarch extended over a smaller territory but one fairly wealthy. The Lombard kingdom comprised the remainder of Italy, the Tyrol, Piedmont, Milan, part of Venetia, Modena, Parma, Tuscany, the coast of Genoa from Perugia to the Adriatic, Beneventum and the great port of Naples. |For sixty years, with short intervals of peace, savage wars, slaughter, bloodshed swept the land. Pestilence, famine, poverty did their part in making commerce and industry difficult. Schisms, overthrow of civil government, military laws, greed of civil authorities resulted in social insecurity and widespread lawlessness. The power of the Church was weakened. Her priests were slaughtered, buildings destroyed, money and lands confiscated.