DBWI: Rosamund does not give birth to a son

Rosamund* had a rocky marriage with Alboin to say the least.

The birth of a healthy boy that would inherit the Lombard kingdom did alleviate some of hatred between the pair**. Alboin is said to have treated his wife better at the birth of his heir, allthough his treatment of Rosamund is not seen as commendable.

What if Rosamund had not given birth to any sons, or even no children at all, how would the relationship between the two be affected?

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosamund_(wife_of_Alboin)
** Atleast publically
 
Well, I can totally see Rosamund being involved in some plot against Alboin. Paulus Diaconus might be a little bit biased towards her for her Gepid ascendance, but I think that scheming was a sort of need in the early Lombard court. She was a beauty and a princess, so it should have been easy to find a lover (any Duke would do, I guess) and promise a marriage to legitimate the latter claim to the throne. The butterflies here could be massive, though. Without Alboin's son Desiderius the Great, Father of Europe, I doubt that the Crown of Lombardy would have grown in one of the most successful Empires post-Rome. Pavia could not be the political, economical and cultural hub it is today, and *Italy, or whatever state(s) would form in the italian peninsula could well be a second tier if not a backwater.
 
Top