Romanus, exarchus Italiae

Following the death of Aquileian patriarch Helias, his successor, Patriarch Severus, together with three other bishops (including the bishop of Poreč, John) are imprisoned in Ravenna by the Byzantine exarch Smaragdus; in order to buy their freedom, the prelates agree to condemn the Three Chapters and reunite with Rome, a move that greatly angers other bishops in the ecclesiastical province of Aquileia. Finally, a synod is held in Marano (591) whereby Patriarch Severus is forced to formally acknowledge the error of his ways in supporting the condemnation of the Three Chapters (narrative accounts from Paul the Deacon's History of the Lombards).

Romanus, the exarch of Ravenna, writes to King Childebert II of Austrasia, informing him of his triumphs against the Lombards and asking him for military aid; Grasulf, the Lombard duke of Friuli, also supported Romanus' military efforts and he received Romanus' aid in his fight against his enemies in Istria.