Romoald 1 was the son of the Lombard king Grimoald (Grimoald 3; AD 662-671); he had two sisters, Gisa 1 and Anonyma 49; he married Theuderada 1 and had three sons, Grimoald 4, Gisulf 1 and Arichis 1. Son of Grimoald 3; when his father (then Lombard dux of Beneventum) left Beneventum for Ticinum to become king, Romoald was made dux of Beneventum and remained behind there ("ordinatumque aput Beneventum Romualdum suum filium"): Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. IV 51. The date was c. 662. In 663 he was still a young man; in that year he was attacked and besieged in Beneventum by the Roman army under the emperor Constans II (Konstans 1) ("ubi tunc Romuald, Grimualdi filius adhuc iuvenulus, ducatum tenebat"); he sent his adviser Sesuald 1 to summon his father's help and although his forces were greatly inferior in number held out until Grimoald 3 arrived; the emperor, learning of Grimoald 3's approach before Romoald 1 did, opened negotiations with Romoald 1 and arranged a peaceful withdrawal, receiving as a hostage the sister of Romoald 1, Gisa 1, and then as Grimoald 3 drew near he abandoned the siege: Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. V 7-9. Shortly afterwards Romoald 1 met and defeated the Roman commander Saburrus 1 near Forinus, with an army composed partly of his own men, partly of some of his father's, and returned to his father in Beneventum in triumph: Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. V 10. A sister of his (Anonyma 49) was married to Trasimund 2: Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. V 16.

Following the death of the dux of Forum Iulii, Lupus 1, Romoald 1, still ruler of Beneventum ("qui Beneventum regebat"), was married by his father to Lupus 1's daughter, Theuderada 1; they had three sons, Grimoald 4, Gisulf 1 and Arichis 1: Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. V 25. As dux of Beneventum he welcomed Alzeco 1 and the Bulgars with him, sent to him by Grimoald 3 to be found homes, and he settled them on vacant lands near Beneventum, at Saepinum, Bovianum, Isernia and other cities, and conferred on Alzeco 1 the Lombard title of gastald: Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. V 29. Called "Beneventanorum dux", he assembled his army and captured Tarentum and Brundisium and reduced to subjection the whole of that region ("omnem illam quae in circuitu est latissimam regionem suae dicioni subiugavit"): Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. VI 1. He died after governing the ducatus for sixteen years ("postquam sedecim annos ducatum gessit") and was succeeded by his son Grimoald 4: Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. VI 2.

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