Paul the Deacon

Winfrid, son of Warnefrid, was born about 720 in the Duchy of Friuli, the northern part of the Italian Peninsula that was the kingdom of the Lombards. His parents, Warnefrid and Theodolinda, were well-to-do, and Winfrid grew up well-educated, knowing some Greek along with Latin.Winfrid decided that rather than inherit from his father, he would join the clergy, taking the title Paulus Diaconus, Paul the Deacon. He was likely one of the secretaries to King Desiderius of the Lombards. When Desiderius married his daughter Adelperga to the Duke of Benevento, Adelperga requested that Paul continue the Breviarium Historiae Romanae ("Summary of Roman History") of a 4th century Roman, Eutropius.He was with her at the court in Benevento prior to 774, probably fleeing when Charlemagne captured the territory. By 782 he was in the Benedictine monastery at Monte Cassino. While there he met Charlemagne, who was very interested in both the Church and education and took a liking to someone who wrote…