Paulos 52 (Paul the Deacon) was the author of a History of the Romans, a History of the Lombards, a History of the Bishops of Metz, and a Life of Pope Gregory the Great, as well as poems and letters. Paulos 52 was apparently elderly in the 780s ("iam gravante senio"; see below), and so was presumably born some time early in the eighth century. His family was perhaps among those settled at Forum Iulii in the days of Alboin and Gisulf (see PLRE III, p. 537, Gisulfus 1): Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. II 9 (and cf. the following). He gives a genealogy of his family in Hist. Lang. IV 37. Leupchis, his great-greatgrandfather, entered Italy when the Lombards invaded from Pannonia (in 568/569, under Alboin); after some years he died leaving five young sons; they were all carried off into captivity when the Avars captured and sacked Forum Iulii (in c. 610) and remained in exile for many years; finally one of them, Lopichis 1, the greatgrandfather of Paulos 52, escaped and made his way back to Italy, returning to the former family home at Forum Iulii and rebuilding it; he married and had a son, Arichis 2, the grandfather of Paulos 52; Arichis 2 had a son, Warnefrit 1, who married Theodelinda 1, and they had two sons, Paulos 52 himself and Paulos 52's brother Arichis 3, named after their grandfather. Elsewhere Paulos 52 refers to a sister (Anonyma 51): Paul. Diac., Versus ad Regem (see below), lines 13-14 ("Est mihi, quae primis Christo sacrata sub annis excubat egregia simplicitate soror"). He was taught (probably grammar) by Flavianos 1: Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. VI 7. Cf. Flavianos 1 and Felix 6. He seems to have been taught a small amount of Greek and perhaps Hebrew in his youth, but in old age claimed to have forgotten it all; see below. He was once present in person at the court of the Lombard king Ratchis 1 (744-749) when he saw the goblet made out of the skull of Cunimund: Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. II 28. In 763 he composed verses on the ages since creation; according to the title he was at the time already a deacon ("versus Pauli diaconi de annis a principio"); it was composed in a first indiction, in the year 763 since the birth of Christ (lines 22-24: "glorioso ab adventu Redemptoris omnium ad hunc usque prima annum in quo est indictio septingenti sexaginta tresque simul anni sunt"); Desiderius (Desiderios 3) and Adelchis (Adalgisos 1) were ruling Italy (line 26) and Paulos 52's patrons, Arichis 4 and his wife Adelperga 1, in whose honour the poem was composed, were rulers of Beneventum (lines 28-30, 34-36); the poem is printed by Waitz, edition of Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang., intro., p. 3. He wrote his history of the Romans at the suggestion of Adelperga 1: Epistula Adelpergae, in SB der W. Akad. lxxi, p. 294. It was an expansion and continuation of the Breviarium of Eutropius. He composed his history of the bishops of Metz at the request of the archbishop of Metz, Angilram 1: Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. VI 16. He also composed a Life of Gregory the Great: Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. III 24. Both these works were evidently written before the History of the Lombards. He wrote verses and a hymn celebrating the miracles of St Benedict, which he inserted in his History of the Lombards: Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. I 26. Probably in 776 his brother (Arichis 3) was carried away captive into Francia; seven years later Paulos 52 wrote verses to the Frankish king Charlemagne (Karoulos 1) asking for his release, to relieve the poverty of his wife and their sister: Paul. Diac., Versus ad Regem (printed in Waitz, op. cit., intro., pp. 5-6). He went to Francia in person to try to secure his release, from where he wrote to Theudemar, abbot of Monte Cassino, on 10 January, perhaps 783; he was then a monk in the monastery of Monte Cassino ("vester meorumque seniorum et fratrum amor"): Waitz, op. cit., intro., pp. 6-7. He was at Karoulos 1's court at the time when the king's daughter Rotrud (Erythro 1) was expected to marry the emperor Constantine VI (Konstantinos 8) (781/787) and he was apparently asked to teach Greek to the Frankish clergy so that they could serve her and not appear ignorant in the Greek speaking East: Versus Petri grammatici (i.e. Peter of Pisa) (cited by Waitz, op. cit., pp. 8-9), lines 31-36 ("haud te latet, quod iubente Christo nostra filia, Michaele comitante, sollers maris spatia ad tenenda sceptra regni transitura properat. Hac pro causa Grecam doces clericos grammaticam nostros, ut in eius pergant manentes obsequio, et Graiorum videantur eruditi regulis"). In verses written in reply Paulos 52 disclaims knowledge of Greek and Hebrew, having forgotten what little he ever knew (lines 16-18: "Graiam nescio loquellam, ignoro Hebraicam; tres aut quattuor in scolis quas didici syllabas, ex his mihi est ferendus maniplus ad aream") and claims that Frankish clergy who speak only Greek learned from him will stand dumb as statues in the East; however he will teach what little he can recall from his long distant youth (lines 34-36: "sed omnino ne linguarum dicam esse nescius, pauca, mihi quae fuerunt tradita puerulo, dicam; cetera fugerunt iam gravante senio"; he then cites a Latin ditty about a Thracian boy drowned in the Hebros): Versus ad Regem (printed in Waitz, op. cit., p. 9). He remained at Karoulos 1's court for some years and was commissioned to write various works, including epitaphs on some of Karoulos 1's relations and his wife; cf. Waitz, op. cit., intro., p. 10. He also compiled a collection of extracts from homilies, which he apparently completed after his return to Monte Cassino; Waitz, op. cit., pp. 11-12 (citing Paulos 52's introductory verses addressed to Karoulos 1, which give thanks for help to St Benedict and to the abbot). In Francia he was commissioned to edit the letters of pope Gregory the Great by the abbot of Corby, Adalhard, but ill health and lack of facilities forced him to abandon the project after editing only thirty-four of them: Waitz, op. cit., pp. 12-13 (citing a letter from Paulos 52 to Adalhard). In 787 he composed an epitaph on his patron Arichis 4, the dux of Beneventum: Waitz, op. cit., p. 14, with n. 2. At Monte Cassino he composed sermons: Waitz, op. cit., p. 14. He also received students: Waitz, op. cit., p. 14 with n. 7 (citing the Gesta of Ioannes bishop of Naples: "alios deinde clericos in monasteriu sancti Benedicti Paulo levitae destinavit (sc. Stephanus episcopus). Unus vero de istis Iohannes nomine, qui post diaconus ordinatus est, apprime eruditus effulsit"). He probably worked in his later years on his History of the Lombards; the work is not finished and he apparently died before he could complete it: cf. Waitz, op. cit., pp. 14-15. According to the Necrologium Casinense he died on 13 April: Waitz, op. cit., p. 15, n. 1 ("Eidus Aprilis obiit venerandus memoriae domnus Paulus diaconus et monachus").

His epitaph survives, attributed to a pupil of his, Hildricos: Waitz, op. cit., pp. 15-16. According to this he was of Lombard family, born near the river Timavos; brought up and educated at the court of king Ratchis 1, he spurned earthly honours and became a monk of St Benedict.

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