(Paul the Deacon). Born circa 720; died Apr. 13, 799, in Monte Cassino. A historian of the Lombards.
Paulus Diaconus was from a noble Lombard family. His youth was spent in service at the court of the Lombard kings; when he left the court he entered the monastery of Monte Cassino in Italy. From 782 to 786 he was a member of the group of scholars whom Charlemagne had gathered at his court. Paulus’ principal work is A History of the Lombards, the primary source on the history of the Lombards from the most ancient times to 744. In this work, he drew on oral tradition, written sources, and eyewitness accounts by contemporaries.