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Arechis II (also ''Aretchis'', ''Arichis'', ''Arechi'' or ''Aregis'') (born According to the ''
Chronicon Salernitanum The ''Chronicon Salernitanum'', or "Salerno Chronicle", is an anonymous 10th century chronicle of the history of the Principality of Salerno. It was probably written around 990 (or 974) and has been attributed to Radoald of Salerno, Abbot of San B ...
'', Arechis ''vixit autem quinquaginta tres (53) annos; obiit septimo Kal. Septembris, anno ab incarnacione Domini 787, indictione 9''.
– died 26 August 787) was a
Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
of Benevento, in Southern Italy. He sought to expand the Beneventos' influence into areas of Italy that were still under
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 ...
control, but he also had to defend against
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...
, who had conquered northern Italy.


Genealogy

Arechis was descended from the
Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the '' History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...
, who had invaded the Italian peninsula in the late sixth century. The Lombards established their kingdom in northern Italy. Its capital was at Pavia, and it also included two independent southern duchies—the
Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; la, Spoletum) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome. History Spolet ...
and Benevento. Arechis was the son of Duke Liutprand, whom he succeeded in 758. Arechis continued to use the title
duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
of Benevento until the
Lombard kingdom The Kingdom of the Lombards ( la, Regnum Langobardorum; it, Regno dei Longobardi; lmo, Regn di Lombard) also known as the Lombard Kingdom; later the Kingdom of (all) Italy ( la, Regnum totius Italiae), was an early medieval state established ...
fell to Charlemagne in 774. Arechis adopted the title prince of Benevento after the fall of the kingdom—probably as a gesture of independence—and continued to use it until his death in 787.


Family

Around 757, Arechis married
Adelperga Adelperga (born c. 740 – died after 787) was a Lombard noblewoman, Duchess of Benevento by marriage to Arechis II of Benevento. She acted as regent of Benevento for her son Grimoald in 787-788. She was the third of four daughters of Deside ...
, a daughter of the northern Lombard king
Desiderius Desiderius, also known as Daufer or Dauferius (born – died ), was king of the Lombards in northern Italy, ruling from 756 to 774. The Frankish king of renown, Charlemagne, married Desiderius's daughter and subsequently conquered his realm. Des ...
. Arechis established friendly—but largely independent—relations with Desiderius. This lasted until 774, when the Lombard kingdom fell to the Franks and Desiderius was deposed. The Beneventan couple produced five children: three boys and two girls.


Cultural contributions

By eighth century standards, Adelperga and Arechis were notable patrons of culture. Adelperga commissioned the major Lombard writer Paul the Deacon to produce his ''Historia Romana'', a textbook of Roman history which was widely used during the rest of the Middle Ages. Some historians also argue that they commissioned Paul's more famous ''Historia gentis Langobardorum'' although this is uncertain. Arechis arranged for the transfer of saints' relics to the newly commissioned church of Santa Sofia in Benevento. The church still survives, albeit heavily restored. It is decorated with rare eighth-century frescoes. Arechis also put resources into building projects in Salerno, including a new palace and castle. Salerno became an increasingly important port city during Arechis' reign. Major southern monasteries, such as Montecassino and
San Vincenzo al Volturno San Vincenzo al Volturno is a historic Benedictine monastery located in the territories of the Comunes of Castel San Vincenzo and Rocchetta a Volturno, in the Province of Isernia, near the source of the river Volturno in Italy. The current monast ...
also received substantial donations from him.


Political activities

Arechis was duke when
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...
conquered
the north Italian Lombard kingdom The Kingdom of the Lombards ( la, Regnum Langobardorum; it, Regno dei Longobardi; lmo, Regn di Lombard) also known as the Lombard Kingdom; later the Kingdom of (all) Italy ( la, Regnum totius Italiae), was an early medieval state established ...
in 774. Although Arechis refused to submit when Charlemagne made himself king of the Lombards, Benevento was left largely unmolested. That same year Arechis adopted the title of "prince of Benevento". He also issued a handful of laws. Both these acts were probably intended as a gesture of defiance against Charlemagne—until this time only the Lombard kings had enacted laws. Since Charlemagne now styled himself king of the Lombards, Arechis was effectively rejecting Charlemagne's right to this title. In November 774, immediately after being solemnly crowned Prince, Arechi II decided to send members of the Cortisani and
Baccari Baccari is an Italian surname. The surname of the Baccari family (variants Baccaro, del Baccaro, de Baccariis), of Byzantine origin, depended on the green twigs with berries that are painted in the coat of arms; this aromatic plant in ancient times ...
families to occupy the middle area of the
Biferno The Biferno is a river of Molise, in southern Italy. Its source is in the ''comune'' of Bojano and during the first few kilometres of its course, it receives the waters of numerous streams which flow from the Matese mountains. It runs through sev ...
river, naming them as gestalds, the official royal authority in the area. In 776, Arechis was probably involved in a Lombard conspiracy to throw off Frankish domination. Charlemagne successfully crushed this revolt, which was mostly focused in northeastern
Friuli Friuli ( fur, Friûl, sl, Furlanija, german: Friaul) is an area of Northeast Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity containing 1,000,000 Friulians. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli Venezia Giuli ...
. Arechis does not seem to have provided much practical support for the rebellion and Charlemagne was forced to hurry back north of the Alps, rather than dealing with Arechis. Once again, geographical distance had protected Arechis from the Franks. Arechis' Beneventan state continued to skirmish with and try to seize territory from the neighbouring Byzantine duchy of Naples. At some point, however, perhaps in the mid-780s, Arechis reached an agreement with the duke of Naples set out in a document called a ''pactum''. This agreement sets forth detailed provisions dealing with landholding and dispute settlement. It may have been intended to relieve Benevento, which was facing the looming Frankish threat. This crystallised in 787, when Charlemagne advanced into south Italy and besieged Capua, an important town in the principality of Benevento. Arechis left Benevento itself and retreated to his new centre, the port of Salerno. Under pressure, Arechis apparently submitted to
Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages * Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany * East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...
suzerainty. As Einhard, Charlemagne's biographer, describes it in his ''Vita Caroli Magni'': Superficially, Charlemagne seemed to have imposed himself on Benevento. Arechis had paid tribute and one of his sons was being held hostage as a guarantee of Benevento's loyalty. Frankish influence was also given formal expression. Traditionally Benevento had produced and used gold coinage, but from 787 the Beneventan mint began to strike silver coins too. The new coins were similar to those issued by Charlemagne's Frankish kingdom. Both the new silver and the traditional gold coins, as well as Beneventan legal documents, all started to include Charlemagne's name and title alongside those of Arechis. The inclusion of titles on coins and in charters was considered an important marker of political authority. However, Einhard overstates Charlemagne's success. Frankish influence in Benevento proved to be very short-lived. In 788, both Grimoald's elder brother, Romuald, and Arechis himself died. Grimoald III, who was being held hostage by Charlemagne, succeeded as prince of Benevento. Unwisely, Charlemagne released Grimoald in return for an oath of loyalty. Grimoald did not keep his promise; by c. 791, he had effectively proclaimed himself independent and successfully resisted the Franks. Grimoald later tried to throw off Frankish suzerainty, but Charlemagne's sons, Pepin of Italy and
Charles the Younger Charles the Younger or Charles of Ingelheim (c. 772 – 4 December 811) was a member of the Carolingian dynasty, the second son of Charlemagne and the first by his second wife, Hildegard of Swabia and brother of Louis the Pious and Pepin Carloma ...
, forced him to submit in 792.


Notes


Bibliography

* * * Einhard
''The Life of Charlemagne''
Translated by Samuel Epes Turner. * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arechis 02 of Benevento 730s births 787 deaths Year of birth uncertain Dukes of Benevento Lombard warriors Princes of Benevento 8th-century rulers in Europe 8th-century Lombard people