ALBOIN, d. 573, king of the Lombards and barbarian con queror of northern Italy, succeeded his father Audoin about 565. The Lombards at that time occupied Noricum and Pannonia, and were engaged in constant war with the Gepidae. Alboin obtained the alliance of the Avars, and with their help destroyed the Gep idae, slew their king, Cunimund, in battle and married his daughter, Rosamund. On April 1, 568, Alboin had assembled his people with a great number of allies, among them 20,000 Saxons, to cross the Alps and form a new settlement in Italy. There appears to be no truth in the legend that the Lombards were invited to attack Italy by the Byzantine general, Narses. This was in effect a migration rather than a mere invasion. The Roman defences were overrun, Milan was occupied (Sept. 4, 569), and Pavia was in vested. Lombard rule was established in northern Italy. But Alboin was murdered in 573 at the instigation of Rosamund, whom Alboin had insulted, so the story goes, by making her drink wine from her father's skull.
The authorities for the history of Alboin are Procopius, Paulus Diaconus and Agnellus (in his history of the Church of Ravenna).
See Hodgkin, Italy and her Invaders, vol. v.