Rothari (or Rothair), of the house of Arodus, is king of the Lombards from 636 to 652; previously he had been duke of Brescia.
He succeeds Arioald, who is an Arian like himself, and is one of the most energetic of Lombard kings.
Fredegar relates (Chronicle, 71) that at the beginning of his reign he put to death many insubordinate nobles, and that in his efforts for peace he maintained very strict discipline.
