Desiderios 3 (Desiderius) was king of the Lombards from 757 to 774. Husband of Ansa 1: Annales Sangallenses Maiores ad a. 774. Father of Adalgisis (Adalgisos 1): Lib. Pont. 97. 23, 97. 31, Annales Laurissenses Maiores ad a. 774. He also had a daughter: Annales Laurissenses Maiores ad a. 774. A Lombard dux, he was sent by Aistulf 1 to command Lombard troops in Tuscia; while there news came of the death of Aistulf 1 (December 756), and Desiderios 3 assembled all his available forces to seize the throne: Lib. Pont. 94. 48 ("tunc Desiderius quidam dux Langobardorum, qui ab eodem nequissimo Aistulfo Tusciae in partes erat directus, audiens praefatum obisse Aistulfum, ilico adgregans ipsius Tusciae universum exercitum multitudini, regni Langobardorum arripere nisus est fastigium"). When he found a rival in Ratchis 1, he approached pope Stephen III (II) (Stephanos 8) for his support, promising to do what the pope wanted and restore the occupied cities as well as give many gifts; an embassy sent by the pope with the agreement of the Frank Fulrad 1 visited him in Tuscia and came to an agreement: Lib. Pont. 94. 49. With the support of Fulrad 1 and Frankish troops and the promise of help from Roman soldiers, Desiderios 3 secured the throne without any bloodshed: Lib. Pont. 94. 50. Pope Stephanos 8 then regained the cities which Desiderios 3 had promised ("id est Faventias cum castro Tiberiaco seu Cabellum et universum ducatum Ferrariae in integro"): Lib. Pont. 94. 51, and see Duchesne, Lib. Pont., p. 461, n. 60. In 768 Desiderios 3 was asked by Christophoros 26 and Sergios 53 to intervene for the Church against the improperly elected bishop of Rome, Constantine (Konstantinos 140): Lib. Pont. 96. 5. On the date, see Duchesne, Lib. Pont., pp. 480-481, n. 3. He let them return to Reate, from where Sergios 53, with the Lombard priest Waldipert 1, overthrew Constantine (Konstantinos 140) and Waldipert 1 tried to instal another bishop on his own (Philippos 11): Lib. Pont. 96. 7-11. In 769 Desiderios 3 encouraged Maurikios 9 (dux of Ariminum) to instal Michael 54 as archbishop of Ravenna by force; during the year when Michael 54 occupied the see Desiderios 3 received from him many gifts, including ornaments and treasures from the church, which was thereby greatly impoverished: Lib.Pont. 96. 25 ("una cum consilio Desiderii Langobardorum regis"). He refused to restore its rights ("iustitiae") to the church and so pope Stephen IV (III) (Stephanos 84), encouraged by Christophoros 26 and Sergios 53, wrote to the Frankish rulers Charlemagne and Carloman (Karoulos 1 and Karoulomannos 2) for help against Desiderios 3; learning of this Desiderios 3 visited Rome, ostensibly to worship but in fact in order to seize Christophoros 26 and Sergios 53; he contacted Paulus Afiarta (Paulos 51) who agreed to help destroy them in return for gifts; they discovered the plot and fortified Rome against Desiderios 3: Lib. Pont. 96. 28. On arrival at St Peter's Desiderios 3 sent for pope Stephen IV (III) (Stephanos 84) and they discussed the question of the iustitiae; meanwhile, with encouragement from Desiderios 3, Paulus Afiarta stirred up the populace against Christophoros 26 and Sergios 53; after a further meeting with Desiderios 3, pope Stephen IV (III) sent a warning to Christophoros 26 and Sergios 53, as a result of which their followers deserted them and they fell into the hands of Desiderios 3; in spite of all that Stephanos 84 could do to protect them, they were taken away, with the approval of Desiderios 3, and their eyes put out; in the Liber Pontificalis, Desiderios 3 is blamed: Lib. Pont. 96. 29-33. Subsequently Desiderios 3 told a papal embassy (see Anastasios 37 and Gemmoulos 2) sent to request the restoration of the Church's rights that he had done Stephanos 84 a great favour by freeing him from domination by Christophoros 26 and Sergios 53 and the pope had no right to ask anything further; moreover, the pope would require his assistance when the Frankish king Carloman (Karoulomannos 2), a friend of Christophoros 26 and Sergios 53, came to take his revenge on Stephen (Stephanos 84): Lib. Pont. 97. 5. When Hadrian I (Hadrianos 1) became bishop of Rome (early February 772), Desiderios 3 sent envoys (Theodikios 1, Tunno 1 and Prandoulos 1) to him seeking peace and friendship; Hadrianos 1 expressed doubts whether Desiderios 3 was to be trusted, quoting information given him by his predecessor Stephen IV (III) (Stephanos 84), but the envoys swore on oath that Desiderios 3 would restore the rights withheld during the papacy of Stephen IV (III), and Hadrianos 1 accepted this and sent an embassy to the Lombard king: Lib. Pont. 97. 5-6. While the embassy (see Stephanos 87 and Paulos 51) was en route news came that Desiderios 3 had seized Faventia, the duchy of Ferraria and Comiaclum, all situated in the exarchate of Ravenna, and was causing severe shortages at Ravenna itself; to further protests from pope Hadrianos 1, Desiderios 3 replied that he would only negotiate if Hadrianos 1 came to visit him in person; at the time the wife and sons of the late king of the Franks, Carloman (Karoulomannos 2), had fled to his court, together with Autchar 1, and he (Desiderios 3) allegedly wanted Hadrianos 1 to anoint the sons as rulers of the Franks, to create division in the Frankish kingdom, to sever the link between the pope and the Frankish king Charlemagne (Karoulos 1), and to subjugate Rome and the rest of Italy to Lombard rule; the pope stood firm, however: Lib. Pont. 97. 6-9. Later in 772 Desiderios 3 received a papal envoy, Gregorios 78, at Ticinum to discuss the restoration of the cities which he had seized: Lib. Pont. 97. 16. As well as seizing the cities of the exarchate, he sent troops to occupy the territories of a number of other cities, including Sena Gallica (Synogaliensis), Aesinum (Esis), Mons Feretri (Monteferetre), Urbinum and Iguvium and to kill, burn and plunder; he also sent troops against Blera (in Tuscia) and Ocriculum (in Umbria) and raided the territories of many other cities, including Rome, ignoring all pleas from pope Hadrianos 1 to stop: Lib. Pont. 97. 18. An embassy of leading monks, among them Probatos 1, returned without accomplishing anything: Lib. Pont. 97. 19. Desiderios 3 himself sent an embassy, consisting of Andreas 32 and Stabilis 2, to pope Hadrianos 1, who undertook to meet him anywhere, provided only that he first returned the captured cities: Lib. Pont. 97. 20. Desiderios 3 still refused to agree (cf. Anastasios 37 and Pardos 7) and continued to harass the cities and also began to make threats against Rome itself, so that the pope initiated defensive measures: Lib. Pont. 97. 21. Desiderios 3 assembled an army and accompanied by his son Adalgisis (Adalgisos 1) set out to march on Rome itself; he sent envoys (see Andreas 32) on ahead to warn pope Hadrianos 1, who again refused to see him until the cities had been returned and further intensified his preparations to defend Rome; on reaching Viterbo Desiderios 3 was met by a papal embassy bearing a papal anathema on him if he set foot in Rome without the pope's permission; he then withdrew in confusion ("ilico cum magna reverentia a civitate Vitervense confusus ad propria reversus est"): Lib. Pont. 97. 23-25. Subsequently he received envoys (Georgios 127, Gulfard 1 and Alcuin 1) from the Frankish king Charlemagne (Karoulos 1) who on their return from a visit to Rome requested him to restore the captured cities, but again he refused, and they returned to Francia accompanied by papal envoys to inform Charlemagne of his obduracy; Charlemagne sent further envoys (whose names are lost) directly to him, offering to pay him handsome compensation for surrendering the cities, but without success: Lib. Pont. 97. 26-28. When Charlemagne (Karoulos 1) prepared his army to invade Italy, Desiderios 3 and the Lombard army took up positions to guard the passes; he received further offers from Charlemagne for a peaceful solution to the problem, but rejected all proposals for the return of the captured cities: Lib. Pont. 97. 29-30. He and his army then suddenly took fright one night and fled; Charlemagne (Karoulos 1) and his men pursued them, and Desiderios 3 with his leading officers took refuge in Pavia and put it into a state of defence to withstand a siege: Lib. Pont. 97. 31. Leading citizens of Clusium and Reate made their way to Rome and submitted to the pope, before Desiderios 3 could block the passes (through the Appennines): Lib. Pont. 97. 32. After spending Easter 774 at Rome Charlemagne returned to the siege of Ticinum (Pavia) and finally captured the city together with Desiderios 3 himself; he then brought the Lombard kingdom under his own rule and returned to Francia taking with him Desiderios 3 and his wife (Ansa 1): Lib. Pont. 97. 44. His capture at Pavia and exile in Francia, with his wife and daughter, and their confinement at Corbie, are recorded in the Frankish Annals: Annales Laurissenses Maiores ad a. 774, Annales Sangallenses Maiores ad a. 774 (p. 75), Chronicon Moissiacense (p. 295).

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