Aripert I, king of the Lombards

- https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariperto_I

Aripert I (also spelled Aribert) was king of the Lombards (653-661) in Italy.

He was the son of Gundoald, duke of Asti, who had crossed the Alps from Bavaria with his sister Theodelinda. As a relative of the Bavarian ducal house, his was called the Bavarian Dynasty.

He was the first Roman Catholic king of the Lombards, elected after the assassination of the Arian Rodoald. Not a warrior, he is mostly renowned for his church foundings. He spread Catholicism over the whole Lombard realm and built the Church of the Saviour in Pavia, the capital. He left the kingdom in a state of peace, asking the nobles to elect jointly his two sons, Berthari and Godepert, which they did.

FMG says:

'It has been suggested that Aripert is identical to Charibert, son of Gundoald Duke in Bavaria. Fredegar names "Gundeberto et Chairiberto" as the two sons of Gundoald & his wife.  Charibert supported his cousin Gundberga Queen of the Lombards in her dispute with her husband.  This dispute must have taken place in 628 at the earliest, assuming that the queen remained in exile for three years and her husband's accession took place in 625."

And:

"Paulus Diaconus records that Rodoald was succeeded by "Aripert, filius Gundoaldi, qui fuerat germanus Theudelindæ reginæ"[Pauli Historia Langobardorum IV.48, MGH SS rer Lang I, p. 136.].  If this is correct, King Aribert was the first cousin, on her mother's side, of Queen Gundberga, the wife of at least two of King Aribert's predecessors.  Primary sources report the activities of Queen Gundberga in detail, suggesting that she may have been a person of sufficient influence at the Lombard court to have engineered the succession of her relative.  However, the relationship is not corroborated in other identified sources, all of which are silent on the origin of King Aripert.  The Origo Gentis Langobardorum records that "Aripert" succeeded "Rothari" and ruled for nine years [Origo Gentis Langobardorum 6, MGH SS rer Lang I, p. 7..

He built the basilica of the Saviour at Ticino in which he and his descendants were buried [Pauli Historia Langobardorum IV.51, V.37, VI.17 and VI.35, MGH SS rer Lang I, pp. 138, 157.].  Paulus Diaconus records the death of King Aribert "aput Ticinum" after a reign of nine years [Pauli Historia Langobardorum IV.51, MGH SS rer Lang I, p. 138.]."