The Lombards / Langobarden Options

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The Lombards were a West-Germanic tribe that originated from scandinavia (south-west sweden), they left scandinavia under their leader Ibor. The terms were to conquer new lands. They settled in the lower elbe region (north-west germany). The name LOMBARD is the english version of the original german name, "LANGOBARDEN". Langobarden means "Long Beards". The myth goes that the Winniler (lombards) were facing an army twice the size oh theirs. The winnilers believed in the Nordic Gods, and so they prayed to WOTAN (odin), wotan replied that he would grant victory to those, whose name he will call out first at the battle field. The Winniler women than prayed to FREYJA (wife of wotan), Freayja replied, that the women should tie their hairs infront of their faces. At the battle field, wotan saw the winniler women, and was puzzled, what he saw were females with facial hair, so he asked his wife, "who are these longbeards" freyja replied,"you called out their name out, now grant them victory" . From there on the Winniler were Langobards (longbeards,lombards). The Lombards were great warriors and won alot of battles, a historic battle was fought in this region against the Vandals, and the vandals were crushed, this is the battle the myth is reffering to. The region (harburg-Lüneburg (north germany) is still called today, BARDENGAU , and there is a town called BARDOWICK, reffering to the Langobarden.
The Lombards were considered by other germanic tribes as one of the most strongest, by tacitus the roman, they were considered THE strongest germanic tribe.The Lombards were only defeated by the romans and forced to settle further south east of the elbe river. 166 ad. The Lombards Re-Entered Roman ground (whats today Lower Austria) 490 ad. they moved to Pannonia and completely destroyed the Heruli Kingdom of Rudolf. Along with the huns, other north iranian warrior tribes came to europe, AVARS entered pannonia, and made a deal with the Langobards, to help them destroy the Gepid kingdom , but than to leave pannonia.
The Gepids (germanic tribe) famous for defeating Attilas Huns. Were defeated by the Lombards, and subjected to the Lombard tribe. The King who defeated the Gepids was the great Lombard King Alboin. Alboin killed Kunimund (king of the gepids) with his own hands, and made Rosamunde(kunimunds daughter) his wife. It is said that on their wedding dinner , Alboin made Rosamunde drink wine out of the skull of her father. Alboin kept his promise to the Avars, and assembled all his men and women and children, those of the gepids + 50000 saxons and thüringer(both germanic tribes) (with kids and wifes) and also a small portion of bulgars (north iranian people:same as avars) and moved with them to Italy in 568 ad. The bulgars were parked of in southern italy (benevento north west of naples) under their leader Alcik. Italy especially the north was well known to the Lombards, since they fought successfully side by side with the byzantines against the east goths a couple of decades ago. The Mass Majority of Lombards settled in North and North west Italy (whats todays region LOMBARDY and the province of Verona). They made Pavia(also in lombardy) their capital. The other Germanics were scattered across northern Italy. The Lombards and the rest of the germanics were of Arian Christian Faith, but turned Catholic Christian later on. North Italy was Ruled by the Lombards with great kings, Authari was able to crush the Frank-Byzantine union threatening the Lombard kingdom. Arioald, went into a successful germanic union with the Frank King Dagobert I. to defeat the Slavs in bohemia.
Desiderius was the last Lombard king and was defeated by Karlmann in 774, Karlmann made Norhern Italy part of the Frank Kingdom, and called it Kingdom of Franks and Lombards. Later on a civil war enviroment errupted in northern italy, with the Guelphs (Pope Loyal) and the Ghibellines (Emperor Loyal of the Holy roman empire) . Friedrich Barbarossa, Emperor of the holy roman empire decide to reign over rome and the papacy and intsalled an Anti pope. The Milanese, Veronese and other northern Italians created The LEGA LOMBARDA (lombard league/Lombarden Bund) and defeated Friedrich Barbarossa in the Battle of Legnano 1176. and ended his reign in northern italy.

The Crown of the Lombards is also very interesting:
The Iron Crown of Lombardy is so called from a narrow band of iron within it, said to be beaten out of one of the nails used at the (jesus) Crucifixion. This very thin band is about one centimeter (three-eighths of an inch) broad. According to tradition, the nail was first given to Emperor Constantine by his mother Helena, who discovered the Cross. How it fell into the hands of the Lombard kings is not well explained. The outer circlet of the crown is of six gold and enamel segments of beaten gold, joined together by hinges and set with precious stones that stand out in relief, in the form of crosses and flowers.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
La Corona Ferrea (In Italian)
Order of the Iron Crown
Coat-of-Arms of Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, 1805–1815, with the Iron Crown on an escutcheon
E. Cobham Brewer, Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, 1898.

The IRON CROWN of LOMBARDY is today at the cathedral treasures in Monza(suburb of Milan).

IRON CROWN of LOMBARDY
http://www.rodaun.info/allekronen/grafik/eisernekrone.jpg
LOMBARDS move to North Italy
http://www.1200.ottonenzeit.de/bilder/rom4.jpg
German book about Lombards (dont get irretated about "die" its "the" in german)
http://www.antikmakler.de/catalog/images/b.../BMA/BMA104.jpg
Map of todays LOMBARDY (north italy)
http://www.take-koethen.de/wein/lombardei_landkarte.jpg
http://www.travelplan.it/img/lombardia.jpg
Lombard Metallurgy and atchitecture in North Italy
http://covers.dvd.img.compricer.com/6/22516.png
http://bookweb.kinokuniya.co.jp/kimgdata/3.../3800414511.jpg
A Lombard helmet
http://www.brian-zimmermann.de/germanen/ger-all-014.jpg

So no missunderstandigs come up, i wrote the text, just the part of the Iron Crown is from Wikipedia.