Arechi II in 787 received ambassadors from Charlemagne, king of the Franks, in the palace, claiming the autonomy of his rule si Salerno, Benevento and southern Italy.
In 787 ambassadors from Charlemagne, who had just defeated the Lombard king Desiderius, arrived in Salerno to demand Arechi II’s submission to the future Holy Roman Emperor. Arechi and Carlosono are brothers-in-law: they have married two sisters who are daughters of Deisderio, Adelperga living in Salerno with her husband, and Ermengarda (as Manzoni will call her in his tragedy Adelchi, but her name is not actually known), who was repudiated by her husband, who then invaded the Kingdom of Italy and ended Lombard rule in the Po Valley.
Arechi is prince of Benevento, but he moved his residence to Salerno and built a large palace here, where he receives, with the attitude of a ruler, ambassadors. The palace occupies a large area reaching to the sea: it is a large and ornate building, a real palace. In the Palatine Chapel, dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, Arechi awaits ambassadors seated on a throne, in the full majesty of a sovereign. The message he wants to give his visitors is clear: any agreement will be between equals, recognizing Charles’ dominance but retaining full authority and autonomy. Arechi, seated on a golden throne and replete with the signs and symbols of royalty, will not relinquish his power.
So it will be, Langobardia Minor, the area south of Rome, will be autonomous from Charlemagne and then from his empire, retaining autonomy and equality. It is an act that will have lasting consequences on future history: the Mezzogiorno of Italy takes on a dimension of its own that separates it from the rest of Italy, and makes it autonomous. With his gesture of dignity and equality, Arechi lays the foundation for a process that will last a thousand years; on that day in 787, the foundation of an autonomy that will mark future history is laid.
