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214 end of 741, gave up his predecessor's Spoletan policy in consequence, and offered to the king the help of the Roman army against Spoleto, on condition of his promise to restore the four castles. Attacked on two sides (742) Transamund surrendered to the king; then the latter advanced against Benevento, and as Godescalc abandoned his own country and was surrendered before he reached the ship destined to bring him to Constantinople, the king gave back his ancestral duchy to Gisulf who had by now grown up and was faithfully devoted to him. But after he had brought all difficulties in South Italy to an end the pope himself overtook him on his way back in his camp at Terni, reminding him of his promise. The Catholic king received the pope with all customary marks of reverence, and gave him the desired charter concerning the restoration of the four towns. After this several nobles escorted the pope on his return journey, and handed over to him the keys of the surrendered towns, and the parts of the patrimony which had been conquered were also restored to him. In exchange for this the pope concluded an armistice with the king for twenty years in the name of the ducatus Romae. In this way the king meant to eliminate one enemy, in order to concentrate all his forces against the other part of the Roman dominion. After having appointed his nephew Agripand duke of Spoleto, he crossed the Apennines and sent his army against Ravenna at the beginning of the following year (743). The exarch and the archbishop of Ravenna in their desperation begged for the pope's intervention, and the latter actually came to meet the king at Pavia, by way of Ravenna. The king condescended to conclude an armistice, occupying the castles of Caesena and part of the territory of Ravenna meanwhile as a pledge, until the embassy he sent to Constantinople should have concluded a definite peace. We do not know Liutprand's real motives for giving up the attack; but it seems possible that changes of foreign politics, especially with the Franks, as well as sympathy with the Romans within the Lombard realm, nourished by the bishops, joined with personal motives to cause his compliance. Though he had not attained his aim when he died at the beginning of the year 744, he had brought the Lombard State's power to a height which it had never before attained.

Liutprand's former co-regent Hildeprand followed him on the throne, but was not acknowledged everywhere. Transamund returned to Spoleto. Ratchis of Friuli was proclaimed king and Hildeprand dethroned after eight months' monarchy. The imperialists greeted the elevation of Ratchis with joy, and the new king actually concluded peace with Rome for twenty years. In Spoleto he asserted his authority, and Transamund was replaced by a new duke, Lupus. We may judge by the severity of his orders concerning passports, and by his rules against riot that Ratchis was prepared to meet dangers from within and without, and so he tried to increase his party by ample distributions of land to the Church, and