Gulfaris

{{Infobox military person

|honorific_prefix = Dux Istriae

|name=Gulfaris

|allegiance=East Roman Empire

|rank=magister militum

|unit=

|commands=

|battles=

|relations=

|laterwork=

}}

Gulfaris also Gulfari (fl. 599) was a Lombard from Istria who entered Byzantine service and became a magister militium. He was of Lombard descent, as evidenced by his name.{{cite book|last=Brown|first=John R. C|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7GRoAAAAMAAJ|title=Gentlemen and Officers Imperial Administration and Aristocratic Power in Byzantine Italy, A.D. 554-800|pages=53–55|publisher=British School at Rome|year=1984|isbn=978-0-904-15209-8}} Gulfaris is also credited as dux Istrae.

In the early Middle Ages, Lombard kings conquered and invaded Istria several times, sometimes in alliance with the Slavs, as in 601{{cite web|last=Mengoli|first=Liliana Martissa|title=Alto Medioevo|url=http://www.coordinamentoadriatico.it/alto-medioevo/|website=Coordinamento Adriatico|date=7 March 2016 |access-date=11 March 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210311151446/http://www.coordinamentoadriatico.it/alto-medioevo/|archive-date=11 March 2021|url-status=live}} (or 602{{cite journal |last1= Bileta|first1= Vedran|date= |title= On the Fringes of the Shrinking Empire - The Militarization of Administration and Society in Byzantine Istria|url= |journal= |volume= |issue= |page=17, 20, 66 |doi= |access-date=}}), although the extent of their settlement of the peninsula is a matter of debate. Gulfaris was renowned for his good deeds.{{cite book|last=Martyn|first=John R. C|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aQsuBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA65|title=Pope Gregory's Letter-Bearers: A Study of the Men and Women who carried letters for Pope Gregory the Great|page=65|publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing|year=2012|isbn=978-1-443-83918-1}} He might have been the same person as an Ulfari, lord of Treviso, who is known for rebelling against the Arian king Agilulf. Gulfaris is said to have opposed the Istrian supporters of the Three Chapters schism. He was called "glorious son" by Pope Gregory. Gulfaris is best known for being the subject of an epistle by Pope Gregory (Gregory to Gulfaris). In the letter the Pope compliments Gulfaris for his faith and loyalty to the apostolic church.{{cite web|title= Gregory's letter to Gulfaris at Catholic Culture|url= https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3726|access-date=11 March 2021}}

Gulfaris remained in Istria after the establishment of the Exarchate of Ravenna, becoming one of the several dukes of Lombard descent in the Byzantine provinces. Unlike the exarch, who was of eastern origin, the provincial commanders came from different backgrounds.{{cite journal |last1= Bileta|first1= Vedran|date= |title= At the Crossroads of Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages - The Rise and Fall of the Military Elite of Byzantine Istria|url= |journal= |volume= |issue= |page=112 |doi= |access-date=}}