Alboin

See The Lost Road for J.R.R. Tolkien's use of this name.

Alboin
King of the Lombards
Assassination of Alboin, King of the Lombards (1859) by Charles Landseer
Reign	560/565 c. – 28 June 572
Birthplace	Pannonia
Died	572
Place of death	Verona, Italy
Predecessor	Audoin
Successor	Cleph
Consort	Chlothsind Rosamund
Offspring	Albsuinda
Royal House	Gausian dynasty
Father	Audoin
Mother	Rodelinda

Alboin or Alboïn (died 572 or 573) was king of the Lombards, and conqueror of Italy. He succeeded his father Audoin about 565. The 7th-century Anglo-Saxon kings who bore these names were probably named after the Langobardic rulers, who had by their day assumed a near-mythical status.

The name Alboin literally translates to "elf-friend", cognate to Old English Aelfwine and Old High German Albwin, Elbwin.

Audoin's rule

The Lombards under king Wacho had migrated towards east in Pannonia taking advantage of the difficulties that the Ostrogothic Kingdom in Italy had suffered following the death of its founder Theodoric in 526. His death towards 540 circa brought to the throne his son Walthari, but since the latter was yet a minor the kingdom was governed in his stead by Alboin's father, Audoin, of the Gausian family. Seven years later the king died, giving Audoin the opportunity to crown himself and overthrow the reigning Lethings.^[1]

Alboin was born by Audoin's marriage to Rodelinda, her first wife: she was possibly a Bavarian princess^[2], but it has also been proposed that Rodelinda may have been the niece of the Ostrogoth king Theodoric betrothed to Audoin by the Emperor Justinian.^[3][4] Like his father Alboin was a pagan, but he took as her first wife the catholic Chlothsind, daughter of the Frankish king Chlothar. This marriage, that took place shortly after the death of the Frankish ruler Theudebald in 555, was part of Audoin's decision to distance himself from the Byzantines, the Lombards' previous allies that had been mostly unhelpful when Audoin had been involved in a war with the Gepids ended in 552. The Franks' alliance was important exactly because of their reknown hostility towards the Byzantines, thus providing the Lombards with more than one option.^[5][6]

In the previously mentioned clash with the Gepids, according to tradition, first distinguished himself on the battlefield, killing in a decisive battle Thurismund, son of the Gepid king Thurisind. This brought to the Emperor Justinian's intervention so that the equilibrium between the rival powers in the region could be maintained.^[7]

Alboin king in Pannonia

Alboin rised to the throne after the death of his father in an uncertain date spanning between 560 and 565.^[6] A new war erupted with the Gepids in 565, now led by Cunimund, Thurisind's son. The responsibility for beginning the new conflict is uncertain, as the sources are divided: the Lombard Paul the Deacon accuses the Gepids, while the Byzantine historian Menander Protector places the blame on Alboin, and according to Austrian scholar Walter Pohl more correctly.^[8] The Gepids obtained the support of the new Byzantine Emperor Justin II in exchange for the promise of ceding him the region of Sirmium, seat of the Gepid kings. As a result, Alboin was defeated.^{[9][6][10][8]}

Placed in dire constraints and faced with the danger of annihilation, Alboin made in 566 an alliance with the Avars under khagan Bayan, but under harsh conditions: the Avars demanded a tenth of the Langobards' cattle, half of the war booty and once the war had been ended all the lands held by the Gepids. The Langobards had also played on the hostility between Avars and Byzantines, claiming the lhe latter were allied with the Gepids; but Cunimund, when he tried to counter the new menace by asking once again help from the Emperor, found the Byzantines angered with the Gepids by their unfaithfulness in previously observing the obbligation of ceding Sirmium to them, and attempts to mollify Justin II with tributes failed. As a result, the Byzantines maintained themselves neutral in the war.^[11][6]

The Lombards had a Peace Treaty at the time Cunimund succeeded Turisind the throne of the Gepids. At this time, the Lombards had established an alliance with the Avars, whom during the war occupied the lands of the Gepids. Despite these obstacle, Cunimund forced his people to fight, and announced that if his people were able to overcome the Lombards, they would then remove the Avars from their land. Under the leadership of Alboin, the Lombards were victorious. The Lombards had defeated the Gepids to complete destruction. Alboin killed Cunimund, and fashioned his skull into a goblet, known as a scala.

The success of Alboin had spread so far, that it reached Rome. Rome sought out the help of Alboin to defeat the Goths. The Lombards were transported to Rome by way of sea, and much to the hope of the Romans, defeated the Goths. Alboin had defeated Totila, the king of the Goths, to destruction. The Lombards returned to their homeland bearing riches and gifts for their people.

Invasion of Italy

Alboin, after all his military success, was convinced that he could set out for Italy and lead his people in a migration. The Saxons supplied Alboin and his army with 20,000 men to fight. Alboin then gave Pannonia to the Avars under the condition that if the Lombards were to return they would receive the land immediately. Alboin first entered Venetia, and declared that his nephew Gisulf would be the duke of the land conquered. Gisulf demanded that he would need the Lombard people of his choice, which Alboin agreed to.

Alboin first arrived at the river Piave. Alboin proceeded to capture the cities of Vicenza, Verona, and the remaining cities of Venetia. He had captured all the cities but Padua, Monselice, and Mantua. After conquering Venetia, Alboin moved his army to Liguria. He took all the cities of Liguria, except those situated on the shores. The city of Ticinum (Pavia), was the most difficult to take. The city lasted over three years before giving up after being besieged. In the end, Alboin had taken possession of everything as far as Tuscany, except Rome, Ravenna, and other fortified cities. Where the Lombards did meet with resistance, retribution was savage beyond anything Italy had experienced before. The bishops, who were virtually the leaders of the late antique Roman cities, fled, like the bishop of Milan, pleaded with the barbarians for gentler treatment of their people.

The courageous resistance of Ticinum provoked the fury of Alboin; he vowed to slaughter all of its inhabitants regardless of age or sex. But as he marched through the gates, his horse inexplicably fell and expired. Whether from compassion or piety, Alboin recanted his vow and spared the city from massacre.

Assassination

In 572, according to the history of the Lombards (chapter 28) written by Paul the Deacon (Paulus Diaconus), the 8th century Lombard chronicler, Alboin ruled Italy for three and a half years until he was murdered at the instigation of his wife following a banquet in Verona. His wife, Rosamund, was the daughter of the king of the Gepids. Alboin slew her father and used his skull as a drinking cup (worn at his belt) and out of which he forced Rosamund to drink.

Rosamund met the king's valet, Helmechis, who suggested using Peredeo, a strong man, to accomplish the assassination. Peredeo refused to help, and that night mistakenly had intercourse with Rosamund, who was disguised as a servant. After learning that he had committed adultery with his king's wife, Peredeo agreed to take part in an assassination attempt in fear of the king's retribution. After the great feast, Alboin went to bed inebriated, at which point Rosamund ordered the king's sword bound to his bedpost, so that should he wake in the middle of the assassination attempt, he would be defenseless. Alboin did wake, only to find himself unarmed. He fended off his attackers temporarily with a footstool, but was killed. His remains were allegedly buried beneath the palace steps. Rosamund fled with her lover and Alboin's daughter by his first wife, Albsuinda, to Ravenna under the protection of the Byzantine emperor.

Italian conquests of the Lombards during the reign of Alboin.

In these few years the Lombards had established themselves in the north of Italy (henceforth Lombardy). But they had little practice in governing large provinces. Lombard warlords (which Latin chroniclers called 'dukes') were established in all the strongholds and passes, and this arrangement became increasingly characteristic of the Lombard settlement. Their power extended tenuously across the Apennines into Liguria and Tuscany, and southwards to the outlying Lombard dukedoms of Spoleto and Benevento. The invaders failed to secure any maritime ports or any territory that was conveniently commanded from the sea, such as Ravenna. Local inhabitants fled into the marshes and lagoons, where Venice had its beginnings.

After his death and the short reign of his successor Cleph the Lombards remained for more than ten years without a king, ruled by the various dukes.

The primary sources for the history of Alboin include Paul the Deacon, the Byzantine Procopius, and Andreas Agnellus (in his history of the church of Ravenna).

References

Sources

• Charles Oman, The Dark Ages 476-918. 1914. Rivingtons, London.
• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

External links

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Alboin.

• A translation of Historia Langobardorum

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