Editing Alboin (section)

=== Death ===
[[File:Assassination of Alboin.jpg|thumb|alt=A painting with two men and a woman, in which one man pointing a spear against the other one who is holding a stooge, with the women is holding a sword|Alboin is killed by Peredeo while Rosamund steals his sword, in a 19th-century painting by [[Charles Landseer]]]]
In her plan to kill her husband Rosamund found an ally in Helmichis, the king's foster brother and ''[[spatharios|spatharius]]'' (arms bearer). According to Paul the queen then recruited the king's ''[[cubicularius]]'' (bedchamberlain), Peredeo, into the plot, after having seduced him. When Alboin retired for his midday rest on 28 June, care was taken to leave the door open and unguarded. Alboin's sword was also removed, leaving him defenceless when Peredeo entered his room and killed him.<ref name="PLRE3"/><ref name="HW291"/><ref name="JJ32">Jarnut 1995, p. 32</ref> Alboin's remains were allegedly buried beneath the palace steps.<ref name="WG392"/>

Peredeo's figure and role is mostly introduced by Paul; the ''Origo'' had for the first time mentioned his name as "Peritheus", but there his role had been different, as he was not the assassin, but the instigator of the assassination. In the vein of his reading of the skull cup, Goffart sees Peredeo not as a historical figure but as an allegorical character: he notes a similarity between Peredeo's name and the [[Latin language|Latin]] word ''perditus'', meaning "lost", a representation of those Lombards who entered into the service of the Empire.<ref name="WG393">Goffart 1988, p. 393</ref>

Alboin's death had a lasting impact, as it deprived the Lombards of the only leader they had that could have kept together the newborn Germanic entity. His end also represents the death of the last of the line of hero-kings that had led the Lombards through their migrations from the Elbe to Italy. His fame survived him for many centuries in epic poetry, with Saxons and [[History of Bavaria|Bavarian]]s celebrating his prowess in battle, his heroism, and the magical properties of his weapons.<ref name="DBI"/><ref name="SG20"/><ref>Wolfram 1997, p. 285</ref>