Radelchis I (also
Radalgis; died 851) was the
treasurer, then
prince of Benevento from 839, when he assumed the throne upon the assassination (possibly his instigation) of
Sicard and imprisonment of Sicard's brother,
Siconulf, to his death, though in his time the principality was divided.
According to the
Chronica S. Benedicti Casinensis, the
gastald of
Capua,
Landulf the Old, who had been an ally of Sicard, freed the imprisoned Siconulf and, with the support of
Guaifer, chief of the Dauferidi family of
Salerno, brought him to that city to be proclaimed prince in opposition to Radelchis. This was the beginning of a civil war which was to last more than a decade.
In 841, Radelchis brought in the aid of
Saracen mercenaries, as
Andrew II of Naples had four years prior. The mercenaries sacked the city of Capua, forcing Landulf to found a new capital nearby on the hill of Triflisco. Siconulf responded by leasing his own band of Saracens. The depredations of the two Christian rulers and their Saracen helpers so disturbed the
king of Italy,
Louis II, that when he was crowned co-
emperor in 850, he immediately set out to pacify the
Mezzogiorno. In 851, he forced a peace on Radelchis and Siconulf and expelled the Saracens from Benevento (warriors from the
Emirate of
Bari, whom Radelchis happily betrayed). He divided the principality permanently. Radelchis did not live long thereafter and was succeeded by his son
Radelgar.
Sources
- Caravale, Mario (ed). Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani: LXIII Labroca – Laterza. Rome, 2004.
Category:LombardsCategory:851 deathsRadelchis 1Category:9th-century rulers in EuropeCategory:9th-century Italian peoplees:Radelchis I de Beneventogl:Radelchis I de Beneventoit:Radelchi I di Beneventouk:Радельхіз I (князь Беневентський)
