Lombard kingdom in the context of Langobardia Maior

Langobardia Minor, also spelled as Longobardia Minor, was a historical name given to the Lombard domains in southern Italy during the Early Middle Ages, in order to distinguish those regions from the Langobardia Major in northern Italy. The scope of Langobardia Minor was corresponding to territories of southern Lombard duchies of Spoleto, Benevento, Salerno and their local dependencies. While the rule of Lombard kings over northern Langobardia Major was direct and effective, their control over southern Langobardia Minor and its dukes was mainly nominal. After the conquest of northern parts of the Lombard kingdom by Charlemagne in 774, its southern duchies in Langobardia Minor remained under control of local Lombard dukes, who preserved their autonomy, but occasionally sided or allied with the Carolingian or the Byzantine empires. After capturing some parts of Langobardia Minor, the Byzantines created a province (theme) called Langobardia. In the 11th century, during the Norman conquest of southern Italy, entire Langobardia Minor gradually came under the Norman rule, and the last Lombard Principality of Salerno fell in 1077, thus ending the Langobardia Minor.

The Kingdom of Italy (Latin: Regnum Italiae or Regnum Italicum; Italian: Regno d'Italia; German: Königreich Italien), also called Imperial Italy (Italian: Italia Imperiale; German: Reichsitalien), was one of the constituent kingdoms of the Holy Roman Empire, along with the kingdoms of Germany, Bohemia, and Burgundy. It originally comprised large parts of northern and central Italy. Its original capital was Pavia until the 11th century.

Following the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and the brief rule of Odoacer, Italy was ruled by the Ostrogoths and later the Lombards. In 773, Charlemagne, the king of the Franks, crossed the Alps and invaded the Lombard kingdom, which encompassed all of Italy except the Duchy of Rome, the Republic of Venice and the Byzantine possessions in the south. In June 774, the kingdom collapsed and the Franks became masters of northern Italy. The southern areas remained under Lombard control, as the Duchy of Benevento was changed into the independent Principality of Benevento. Charlemagne called himself king of the Lombards and in 800 was crowned emperor in Rome. Members of the Carolingian dynasty continued to rule Italy until the deposition of Charles the Fat in 887, after which they once briefly regained the throne in 894–896.