Editing Alboin (section)

== Aftermath ==
{| class="toccolours" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 2em; font-size: 85%; background:#c6dbf7; color:black; width:30em; max-width: 40%;" cellspacing="5"
| style="text-align: left;" | "Helmegis then, upon the death of his king, attempted to usurp his kingdom, but he could not at all do this, because the Langobards, grieving greatly for the king's death, strove to make way with him. And straightway Rosemund sent word to Longinus, prefect of Ravenna, that he should quickly send a ship to fetch them. Longinus, delighted by such a message, speedily sent a ship in which Helmegis with Rosemund his wife embarked, fleeing at night."<ref>Paul 1907, p. 84</ref>
|-
| style="text-align: left;" | '''''Paul the Deacon'''''<br> Historia Langobardorum, Book II, Ch. 29
|}

To complete the [[coup d'état]] and legitimize his claim to the throne, Helmichis married the queen, whose high standing arose not only from being the king's widow but also from being the most prominent member of the remaining Gepid nation, and as such her support was a guarantee of the Gepids' loyalty to Helmichis. The latter could also count on the support of the Lombard garrison of Verona, where many may have opposed Alboin's aggressive policy and could have cultivated the hope of reaching an entente with the Empire. The Byzantines were almost certainly deeply involved in the plot. It was in their interest to stem the Lombard tide by bringing a pro-Byzantine regime into power in Verona, and possibly, in the long run, break the unity of the Lombards' kingdom, winning over the dukes with honours and emoluments.<ref name="DBI"/><ref name="SG26"/><ref name="JJ32"/><ref name="NC82">Christie 1998, p. 82</ref><ref name="HW292">Wolfram 1997, p. 292</ref><ref>Azzara 2009, p. 96</ref>

The coup ultimately failed, as it met with the resistance of most of the warriors, who were opposed to the king's assassination. As a result, the Lombard garrison in Ticinum proclaimed Duke [[Cleph]] the new king, and Helmichis, rather than going to war against overwhelming odds, escaped to Ravenna with Longinus' assistance, taking with him his wife, his troops, the royal treasure and Alboin's daughter [[Albsuinda]]. In Ravenna, the two lovers became estranged and killed each other. Subsequently, Longinus sent Albsuinda and the treasure to [[Constantinople]].<ref name="NC82"/><ref name="HW292"/>
[[File:Kingdom of the Lombards 572-it.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|alt=A map of Italy divided in orange and green colors, with a green blot for "Longobard" an orange one for "Byzantine"|Lombard and Byzantine territories at Alboin's death (572)]]
Cleph kept the throne for only 18 months before being assassinated by a [[Slavery in medieval Europe|slave]]. Possibly he too was killed at the instigation of the Byzantines, who had every interest in avoiding a hostile and solid leadership among the Lombards. An important success for the Byzantines was that no king was proclaimed to succeed Cleph, opening a [[Rule of the Dukes|decade of interregnum]], thus making them more vulnerable to attacks from the Franks and Byzantines. It was only when faced with the danger of annihilation by the Franks in 584 that the dukes elected a new king in the person of [[Authari]], son of Cleph, who began the definitive consolidation and centralization of the Lombard kingdom while the remaining imperial territories were reorganized under the control of an [[exarchate of Ravenna|exarch]] in Ravenna with the capacity to defend the country without the Emperor's assistance.<ref>Schutz 2001, p. 85</ref><ref>Gasparri 1990, pp. 26–28</ref><ref>Wickham 1989, pp. 31–32</ref><ref>Ostrogorsky 1993, p. 69.</ref>

The consolidation of Byzantine and Lombard dominions had long-lasting consequences for Italy, as the region was from that moment on fragmented among multiple rulers until [[Italian unification]] in 1871.<ref>Wickham 2005, p. 35</ref>