Editing Alboin (section)

=== March to Italy ===
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| style="text-align: left;" | "This Albuin led into Italy the Langobards who were invited by Narses (chief) of the secretaries. And Albuin, king of the Langobards, moved out of Pannonia in the month of April after Easter in the first indiction. In the second indiction, indeed, they began to plunder in Italy, but in the third indiction he became master of Italy."<ref>Paul 1907, p. 329</ref>
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| style="text-align: left;" | '''''The Origin of the Nation of the Langobards''''', Chapter V
|}

The Lombard migration started on Easter Monday, 2 April 568. The decision to combine the departure with a Christian celebration can be understood in the context of Alboin's recent conversion to [[Arianism|Arian Christianity]], as attested by the presence of Arian Gothic missionaries at his court.<ref name="JM152"/><ref name="SP43">Palmieri 1996, pp. 43–44</ref> The conversion is likely to have been motivated mostly by political considerations, and intended to consolidate the migration's cohesion, distinguishing the migrants from the Catholic Romans. It also connected Alboin and his people to the Gothic heritage, and in this way obtained the support of the Ostrogoths serving in the Byzantine army as ''foederati''.<ref name="DBI"/><ref>Gasparri 1990, pp. 24–25</ref> It has been speculated that Alboin's migration could have been partly the result of a call from surviving Ostrogoths in Italy.<ref name="JM152"/>

The season chosen for leaving Pannonia was unusually early; the Germanic peoples generally waited until autumn before beginning the migration, giving themselves time to do the harvesting and replenish their granaries for the march. The reason behind the spring departure could be the anxiety induced by the neighbouring Avars, despite the friendship treaty. Nomadic peoples like the Avars also waited for autumn to begin their military campaigns, as they needed enough forage for their horses. A sign of this anxiety can also be seen in the decision taken by Alboin to ravage Pannonia, which created a safety zone between the Lombards and the Avars.<ref name="HW286"/><ref name="RC186"/>

The road followed by Alboin to reach Italy has been the subject of controversy, as is the length of the trek. According to Neil Christie, the Lombards divided themselves into migrational groups, with a vanguard scouting the road, probably following the [[Ptuj|Poetovio]] – [[Celje|Celeia]] – [[Emona]] – [[Cividale del Friuli|Forum Iulii]] route, while the wagons and most of the people proceeded slowly behind because of the goods and chattels they brought with them, and possibly also because they were waiting for the Saxons to join them on the road. By September raiding parties were looting [[Venetia (region)|Venetia]], but it was probably only in 569 that the [[Julian Alps]] were crossed at the [[Vipava Valley]]; the eyewitness [[Secundus of Non]] gives the date as 20 or 21 May.<ref name="DBI"/><ref name="SG25"/><ref name="NC634"/> The 569 date for the entry into Italy is not void of difficulties however, and Jörg Jarnut believes the conquest of most of Venetia had already been completed in 568. According to Carlo Guido Mor, a major difficulty remains in explaining how Alboin could have reached Milan on 3 September assuming he had passed the border only in the May of the same year.<ref name="JJ30"/><ref name="SP43"/>