Aistulf 1 was son of Pemmo 1 and Ratperga 1, brother of Ratchis 1 and Ratchait 1: Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. VI 26, 51, 56, cf. Lib. Pont. 94. 48 (brother of Ratchis 1). After the dismissal of Pemmo 1 and the appointment of Ratchis 1 as dux of Forum Iulii, Pemmo 1 and his other sons fell out with Liutprand 1; they were pardoned by the king at the request of Ratchis 1, but when the king attempted to arrest their supporters Aistulf 1 lost his temper and tried to strike Liutprand 1 with his sword; only the intervention of Ratchis 1 restrained him: Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. VI 51. Later, when Liutprand 1 mounted an expedition against Spoletium and Beneventum, Aistulf 1 and Ratchis 1 accompanied it with troops from Forum Iulii; between Fanum and Forum Sempronii they bore the brunt of an attack by the Romans and troops from Spoletium, but drove off the attackers with few losses to their own men: Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. VI 56. He was king of the Lombards from 749 to 756.

In 752 he attacked Rome and its subject cities; an embassy from Pope Stephen III (II) (Stephanos 8; see Paulos 49 and Ambrosios 1) took him gifts and he made a treaty of peace for forty years ("in quadraginta annorum spatia pacti foedus cum eo ordinantes confirmaverunt"): Lib.

Pont. 94. 5. He broke the treaty himself only four months later, and tried to impose tribute on the citizens of Rome (one gold coin per person annually) and to make Rome and the forts around subject to his rule ("sui iurisdictione civitatem hanc Romanam vel subiacentes ei castra subdere indignanter asserebat"); Stephen III (II) (Stephanos 8) sent a further embassy composed of distinguished abbots (see Anonymus 244 and Anonymus 245), but Aistulf 1 treated them with contumely and dismissed them back to their monasteries: Lib. Pont. 94. 6-7. Aistulf 1 received an envoy from the emperor (Ioannes 235) but gave him an empty answer and sent him away accompanied by a Lombard envoy (Anonymus 243) to the emperor: Lib.Pont. 94. 8. He threatened to put the people of Rome to the sword if they refused to submit to him ("nisi suae, ut praelatum est, sese subderent dicioni"): Lib. Pont. 94. 10. He had occupied the exarchate of Ravenna and much of Italy, and steadfastly refused to withdraw, in spite of frequent entreaties and bribes from the pope, Stephen III (II) (Stephanos 8); eventually, as no help was forthcoming from the emperor, Stephen III (II) (Stephanos 8) contacted the Franks for help: Lib. Pont. 94. 15-16. Aistulf 1 continued to threaten Roman territory and captured the fort of Ceccano ("Ciccanense castellum, quod colonorum sanctae Dei ecclesiae existebat"; this lay on the Via Latina south of Rome and was the ancient town of Fabrateria Vetus; see Duchesne, p. 457, n. 21); his envoy returned from Constantinople with Ioannes 235 and the pope's representative (Anonymus 249), and Stephen III (II) (Stephanos 8), ordered by the emperor to visit Aistulf 1 to discuss the restoration of Ravenna and the other lands, sought and obtained from the Lombard king a safe conduct: Lib. Pont. 94. 17. Pope Stephen III (II) (Stephanos 8) set out to visit Aistulf 1 on 14 October 753, accompanied by Frankish envoys who had just arrived to escort him to Francia: Lib. Pont. 94. 18-19. As Stephen III (II) (Stephanos 8) approached Ticinum (Pavia), Aistulf 1 sent envoys ("missos suos") warning him not to ask for Ravenna and the other territories occupied by himself and his predecessors; Aistulf 1 remained unmoved in spite of more gifts and entreaties from the Pope Stephen III (II) (Stephanos 8) and from the imperial envoy, who delivered to him a letter from the emperor: Lib. Pont. 94. 21. He was unwilling to allow the pope to proceed to Francia and tried to deter him, but eventually gave way after pressure from the Frankish envoys: Lib. Pont. 94. 22-23. The papal party left Pavia on 15 November; the Lombard king again tried, without success, to prevent the journey: Lib. Pont. 94. 24. He now persuaded Carloman (Karoulomannos 1) to leave his monastery at Aquinum and return to Francia, to dissuade his brother Pepin III (Pepin 1) from granting the pope Stephen III (II) (Stephanos 8)'s request for help against the Lombards; Carloman (Karoulomannos 1) did not succeed: Lib. Pont. 94. 30. Aistulf 1 rebuffed embassies and letters from Pepin III (Pepin 1) and pope Stephen III (II) (Stephanos 8) asking him to return the occupied cities, even while the Franks were preparing for war: Lib. Pont. 94. 31-33. Hearing that a small Frankish force was guarding the passes over the Alps, Aistulf 1 attacked it, but his army was totally defeated and he himself fled and retreated within the walls of Ticinum (Pavia); there shortly afterwards he was besieged by the Frankish army under Pepin III (Pepin 1): Lib. Pont. 94. 35-36. He then made a peace treaty with the Franks and the Romans, promising on the most solemn and binding oaths to restore Ravenna and the other cities in dispute to the Romans; Pepin III (Pepin 1)

and Stephen III (II) (Stephanos 8) now parted company, but Aistulf 1 failed to carry out his promises: Lib. Pont. 94. 37. He not only failed to restore the cities but, after an interval (at the beginning of 756) he launched an attack on Rome and the neighbourhood with all his available forces, laying siege to Rome for three months and aiming to capture the city; he also despoiled many cemeteries and removed the bodies of many saints; he retook the city of Narnia, which he had earlier handed over to an envoy from the Franks: Lib. Pont. 94. 41. Stephen III (II) (Stephanos 8) informed Pepin III (Pepin 1) and the Frankish king invaded Lombard territory and laid siege to Ticinum (Pavia): Lib. Pont. 94. 42-45. Aistulf 1 yielded and agreed to fulfil the undertakings made in the former treaty of Pavia (made in the eighth indiction, i.e. in September 754/August 755) and restore the occupied cities; he also sent a donation to that effect which was preserved in the archives of St Peter's ("que et usque actenus in archivo sancte nostrae ecclesiae recondita tenetur"): Lib. Pont. 94. 46. The cities were surrendered to Pepin III (Pepin 1)'s representative, Fulrad 1: Lib. Pont. 94. 47. While this was in progress, Aistulf 1 suddenly died while out hunting ("divino ictu percussus defunctus est"): Lib. Pont. 94. 48. The throne was disputed between Ratchis 1, the brother of Aistulf 1, and Desiderius (Desiderios 3): Lib. Pont. 94. 48ff.

His activities led pope Stephen III (II) (Stephanos 8) to seek help from Pepin III (Pepin 1) and the Franks (in 754): Theoph. AM 6216.

He was believed to have stolen the body of St Caecilia: Lib. Pont. 100. 15.

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