Albinus was a member of the
patrician gens Postumia, and the son of
Aulus Postumius Albinus, who was a consul in 242 BC. He was elected as a consul for the first time in 234 BC, during which he campaigned against the
Ligures. It has been conjectured that he was then elected
Praetor for the first time in the following year (233 BC). Albinus was then elected as a consul for a second time in 229 BC, during which he and his consular colleague
Gnaeus Fulvius Centumalus were engaged in a war against the
Illyrian queen
Teuta. Albinus commanded the land forces, and gained a number of significant victories during the year. He captured
Apollonia and then went to the relief of
Epidamnos and
Issa, forcing the Illyrians to abandon both sieges. He also managed to subdue a number of local Illyrian tribes before returning to Epidamnos. Albinus was granted a pro-consular extension to his command in 228 BC, after his term ended, in order to conclude the peace treaty with the
Illyrians. Once it had been concluded, he sent
legates to the
Aetolian and
Achaean Leagues, where they explained the reasons for the war and the Roman invasion, as well as the terms of the treaty with Queen Teuta. On his return to Rome, unlike his comrade, he was not granted a
triumph to celebrate his victory. Albinus disappears from the historical record during the next decade, but resurfaced in 216 BC, with the
Second Punic War in full swing. The Romans, finding themselves short of experienced military commanders, were forced to recall men such as Albinus to serve during this period of crisis. Consequently, Albinus, who was not even in Rome for the election, was elected praetor for the second time, and given command of the province of
Gallia Cisalpina. He led his army of two
legions plus reinforcements against the
Celtic Boii, who had risen in revolt and declared for
Hannibal. During his term as a praetor, he was elected in absentia (and whilst on campaign) as a
consul for the year 215. However, he did not live to officially enter the consulship. While travelling through the Litana forest in
Gallia Cisalpina, Albinus was ambushed by a force of
Boii warriors, who annihilated most of his army at the
Battle of Silva Litana. Albinus and the remainder of his legions tried to escape over a nearby bridge, but they were slaughtered by a Boii detachment that guarded the crossing. The consul-elect
was decapitated, and his
skull was then clad in
gold and made into a sacrificial bowl. As
Livy tells us: When news of Albinus’ death reached
Rome, it caused such an alarm that the shops were closed and hardly anyone ventured out of their homes. The
Senate ordered the
aediles to go around the city and order the citizens to re-open their shops and stop the unofficial public mourning. Albinus’ replacement as consul was
Marcus Claudius Marcellus, but his election was declared invalid by the Augurs and he abdicated. Consul for 215 became
Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus. ==See also==