{{Infobox noble, type , name = Adelchis , title = , image = Adelchis.JPG , caption = Adelchis, from the 11th-century ''Codex legum Langobardorum'' , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession = Prince of Benevento , reign = 854–878 , reign-type = , predecessor = Radelgar , successor = Guaifer , suc-type = , spouse = , spouse-type = , issue = {{unbulleted list,

Ageltrude Ageltrude or Agiltrude (around 860 - died 27 August 923) was the Empress and Queen of Italy as the wife of Guy (reigned 891–94). She was the regent for her son Lambert (reigned 894–98) and actively encouraged him in opposing the Carolingian ...

Radelchis II
Aiulf , issue-link = , issue-pipe = , full name = , styles = , titles = , noble family = , house-type = , father = Radelchis I , mother = , birth_date = , birth_place = , christening_date = , christening_place = , death_date = May 878 , death_place = , burial_date = , burial_place = , religion = , occupation = , memorials = , website = , module = Adelchis denier 641521

{{Commons category, Adelchis of Benevento Adelchis (died May 878) was the son of Radelchis I, Prince of Benevento, and successor of his brother Radelgar in 854. It was given to Adelchis to preserve the ancient principality and its independence in the face of repeated assaults by the Saracens from the south, the Emperor Louis II from the north, and

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

Langobardia to the east. At first, he was unsuccessful in his wars with the Muslims. He was defeated at Bari in 860 and forced to make a truce with the emir and pay a tribute. In subsequent ventures, he was forced to call in the help of the emperor. In 866, the emperor defeated the Saracens and, in 871, Bari itself fell. Louis then tried to set up greater control over all the south by garrisoning his troops in Beneventan fortresses. The response of Adelchis to this action was to imprison and rob the emperor while he was staying in the princely palace at Benevento in August—a treachery lamented in a contemporary poem, the ''

Rythmus de captivitate Ludovici imperatoris The ''Rythmus de captivitate Ludovici imperatoris'' ("Poem on the Captivity of Emperor Louis") is a short alphabetic acrostic poem in Middle Latin lamenting the capture of Louis II, King of Italy and Emperor of the Romans, on 15 August 871. The p ...

''. A month later, the Saracens had landed with a new invasive force and Adelchis released Louis to lead the armies against it. Adelchis forced Louis to vow never to reenter Benevento with an army or to take revenge for his detention. Louis went to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in 872 and was released from his oath by

Pope Adrian II Pope Adrian II ( la, Adrianus II; also Hadrian II; 79214 December 872) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 867 to his death. He continued the policy of his predecessor, Nicholas I. Despite seeking good relations with Louis ...

on 28 May. He tried to exact punishment on Adelchis, but was not very successful. Adelchis turned to the Byzantines. He was assassinated in May 878. He was notably the last Lombard ruler to revise the ''

Edictum Rothari The ''Edictum Rothari'' (lit. ''Edict of Rothari''; also ''Edictus Rothari'' or ''Edictum Rotharis'') was the first written compilation of Lombard law, codified and promulgated on 22 November 643 by King Rothari in Pavia by a gairethinx, an ass ...

''. Adelchis' daughter was

, wife of

Guy III of Spoleto Guy III of Spoleto (german: Wido, it, Guido; died 12 December 894) was the margrave of Camerino from 880 and then duke of Spoleto and duke of Camerino, Camerino from 883. He was crowned king of Italy in 889 and Holy Roman Emperor, emperor in 891. ...

Sources

*Elke Goez. ''Geschichte Italiens im Mittelalter''. Darmstadt: WBG, 2010, pp. 60–61. {{S-start {{S-reg {{S-bef, before= Radelgar {{S-ttl, title= Prince of Benevento, years=854–878 {{S-aft, after= Guaifer {{s-end {{Use dmy dates, date=January 2012 {{Authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Adelchis Of Benevento Year of birth missing 878 deaths Princes of Benevento Lombard warriors Assassinated Italian people 9th-century rulers in Europe 9th-century Lombard people