Editing Alboin (section)

=== Conquest of Milan ===
From Forum Iulii, Alboin next reached [[Aquileia]], the most important road junction in the northeast,<ref name="HW288">Wolfram 1997, p. 288</ref> and the administrative capital of Venetia. The imminent arrival of the Lombards had a considerable impact on the city's population; the [[List of bishops and patriarchs of Aquileia|Patriarch of Aquileia]] [[Paulinus I of Aquileia|Paulinus]] fled with his clergy and flock to the island of [[Grado, Italy|Grado]] in Byzantine-controlled territory.<ref name="DBI"/><ref>Madden 2004, p. 44</ref>

From Aquileia, Alboin took the [[Via Postumia]] and swept through Venetia, taking in rapid succession [[Treviso|Tarvisium]] (Treviso), [[Vicenza|Vicentia]] (Vicenza), [[Verona]], [[Brescia|Brixia]] ([[Brescia]]) and [[Bergamo|Bergomum]] (Bergamo). The Lombards faced difficulties only in taking [[Oderzo|Opitergium]] (Oderzo), which Alboin decided to avoid, as he similarly avoided tackling the main Venetian towns closer to the coast on the [[Via Annia]], such as [[Altinum]], [[Padua|Patavium]] (Padova), [[Monselice|Mons Silicis]] (Monselice), [[Mantua]] and [[Cremona]].<ref name="DBI"/><ref name="HW288"/> The invasion of Venetia generated a considerable level of turmoil, spurring waves of refugees from the Lombard-controlled interior to the Byzantine-held coast, often led by their bishops, and resulting in new settlements such as [[Torcello]] and [[Eraclea|Heraclia]].<ref>Lane 1991, p. 7</ref><ref name="CAH19">Humphries 2001, pp. 535–536</ref><ref>Richards 1979, p. 34</ref>

Alboin moved west in his march, invading the region of [[Liguria]] (north-west Italy) and reaching its capital [[Mediolanum]] ([[Milan]]) on 3 September 569, only to find it already abandoned by the ''[[vicarius]] Italiae'' (vicar of Italy), the authority entrusted with the administration of the [[diocese of Annonarian Italy]]. Archbishop [[Honoratus of Mediolanum|Honoratus]], his clergy, and part of the laity accompanied the ''vicarius Italiae'' to find a safe haven in the Byzantine port of [[Genoa|Genua]] (Genoa). Alboin counted the years of his reign from the capture of Milan when he assumed the title of ''dominus Italiae'' (Lord of Italy). His success also meant the collapse of Byzantine defences in the northern part of the [[Po plain]], and large movements of refugees to Byzantine areas.<ref name="PLRE3"/><ref name="DBI"/><ref>Christie 1998, p. 78</ref><ref name="SG256">Gasparri 1990, pp. 25–26</ref>

Several explanations have been advanced to explain the swiftness and ease of the initial Lombard advance in northern Italy. It has been suggested that the towns' doors may have been opened by the betrayal of the Gothic auxiliaries in the Byzantine army, but historians generally hold that Lombard's success occurred because Italy was not considered by Byzantium as a vital part of the empire, especially at a time when the empire was imperilled by the attacks of Avars and [[Slavic peoples|Slavs]] in the [[Balkans]] and [[Sassanid Empire|Sassanids]] in the east. The Byzantine decision not to contest the Lombard invasion reflects the desire of Justinian's successors to reorient the core of the Empire's policies eastward.<ref name="SG256"/><ref name="JJ31"/><ref>Ostrogorsky 1993, p. 68</ref>