Alboin was king of the Lombards and one of the most powerful and remarkable figures of sixth-century Europe.
It was he who led the Lombards south into Italy, conquering the north of the country.
No one could stand against Alboin on the battlefield. But his savagery eventually backfired on him.
Early in his reign, he killed King Cunimund of the Gepids and turned his skull into a drinking cup. Then he forcibly married Cunimund’s daughter, Rosemund.
While some elements of the following are based on fact and recorded at the time how much has become legend over the centuries is not clear.
During one drunken feast in June 572, he invited Rosemund to “drink happily with her father” and made her sip wine from the skull cup.
This was a step too far, and Rosemund immediately began plotting his murder.
Rosamund met with the king’s arms bearer and her lover, Helmichis and they devised a plan for her to disguise herself as a servant and seduced Alboin’s bodyguard, Pedro. After this, she then revealed her true identity and threatened to tell Alboin about the affair unless Peredeo killed him.
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 a 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 hacked to death, completing Rosemund’s revenge.
Helmichis planned to marry Rosamund and usurp the throne by claiming kingship, this plan gained little support from the various duchies of the Lombard kingdom, so Rosamund and Helmichis fled together with Albion’s treasures. Rosamund would later tries to poison Helmichis but he forced her to drink from the poisoned cup before ending his own life in the same way.
Sources: The Lombards: The Ancient Longobard by Neil Christie, Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire – Volume III: A.D. 527–641, by John R. Martindale, and an article by Alex Hanton
(CDA NEWS)
Follow us for breaking News, Read, Like, and Share our Content
