ADELCHI, prince of BENEVENTO. — He succeeded his brother Radelgaiso in 853, at a particularly turbulent moment. He was defeated several times by the Saracens, who were then roaming throughout southern Italy, and was forced to pay tribute and give hostages. He succeeded in recovering the occupied territories during the campaign conducted against the Saracens by Ludovico II, which ended gloriously in Feb. 871 with the capture
of Bari. Later, however, having become aware of the emperor’s intention to bring Benevento as well under his direct rule, he audaciously rebelled, took Ludovico II prisoner, and released him only forty days later, on 17 Sept. 871, after making him swear not to take revenge and never again to enter his principality with armed forces.
After the emperor had definitively departed from southern Italy and war with the Saracens had broken out anew, A. was defeated on the Ofanto and had to join the Arab-Campanian league, as many other Lombard princes and dukes had already done.
He again fought against the Byzantines, who had suddenly occupied Bari, and was killed by his own relatives in the spring of 878, while returning from the capture of a castle. A. deserves credit for renewing the old Lombard legislation, adding to it a number of capitularies preceded by an introduction.