'''Romanus''' ({{langx|grc|Ρωμανός|Rōmanós}}; died 596 or 597) was [[Exarchate of Ravenna|Exarch of Ravenna]] from 589 until 596 or 597.
Prior to being appointed Exarch, Romanus won a victory against the future [[Sasanian Empire|Sassanid]] ruler [[Bahram Chobin]] in 589 at the [[Battle of the Araxes (589)|battle of the Araxes]], provoking his revolt and usurpation of [[Hormizd IV]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Treadgold|first=Warren T.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nYbnr5XVbzUC|title=A History of the Byzantine State and Society|date=October 1997|publisher=Stanford University Press|isbn=978-0-8047-2630-6|pages=230|language=en}}</ref>
In 589 he became Exarch in place of the discredited [[Smaragdus]].<ref>[[Paul the Deacon]] (3.26). ''History of the Lombards'', translated by William Dudley Foulke, 1907 (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 1974), p. 133</ref> In his first year Romanus recovered the cities of [[Modena]], [[Reggio Emilia|Reggio]], [[Parma]], [[Piacenza]], [[Altinum]], and [[Mantua]] from the [[Lombards]].<ref>As described in the ''[[Liber Pontificalis]]''. Raymond Davis (translator), ''The Book of Pontiffs (Liber Pontificalis)'', first edition (Liverpool: University of Liverpool Press, 1989), p. 61.</ref>
In 592 [[Pope Gregory I]] appealed to the Exarch for help in assisting [[Naples]], then under Lombard attack, but Romanus thought it more prudent to remain in central Italy. The Pope was forced to make peace with the [[Duchy of Spoleto]] to save Naples.<ref>R.A. Markus, ''Gregory the Great and His World'' (Cambridge: University Press, 1997), p. 102f</ref> Shortly afterwards, the Lombards occupied [[Perugia]], causing Romanus to send an army to retake [[Umbria]].<ref>Paul the Deacon (4.8). Foulke however dates this to 594, while noting that the historian [[Thomas Hodgkin (historian)|Thomas Hodgkin]] dates this to 593 (''History of the Lombards'', p. 155n .2)</ref> The Lombard King [[Agilulf]], noticing this, crossed into central Italy and even threatened [[Rome]]. Frustrated with the lack of support he received from the Exarch (R.A. Markus describes him as a "large thorn in Gregory's side"),<ref>Markus, ''Gregory the Great'', p. 105</ref> the Pope tried to circumvent Romanus' authority by appealing to the [[Byzantine Emperor]] [[Maurice (emperor)|Maurice]] in 595, but this proved fruitless, given the fact that Maurice saw more value in maintaining a link between Ravenna and the Balkans, where he [[Maurice's Balkan campaigns|kept the Avars and Slavs at bay]].
Romanus died soon after this, and was succeeded by [[Callinicus (Exarch of Ravenna)|Callinicus]], who proved to be more conciliatory to Pope Gregory.
== References == <references/>
{{s-start}} {{s-bef|before=[[Smaragdus]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Exarch of Ravenna]]|years=589–598}} {{s-aft|after=[[Callinicus (exarch)|Callinicus]]}} {{s-end}}
{{Exarchs of Ravenna}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Romanus}} [[Category:6th-century exarchs of Ravenna]] [[Category:590s deaths]] [[Category:Year of birth unknown]]