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Coinage of Adelchis of Benevento
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Coinage of Adelchis of Benevento
The coinage of Adelchis, prince of Benevento, constitutes a special chapter in the Lombard coinage of Benevento and bears witness to the political changes that took place during his principality. The period in which Adelchis minted runs from 854, when he became prince of Benevento, to 878; his coinage is centered on the denier, a silver coinage that became widespread in Europe following Charlemagne's rise to power.
The fortunes of Adelchis' principality are linked to a remarkably turbulent historical period, punctuated by wars in which Emperor Louis II was involved. The latter tried to place the principality within his own sphere of power, but Adelchis, after many vicissitudes, managed to retain control of it. These events are reflected and represented by the various types that followed one another in the issues: at first with the presence of Adelchis' name alone, then Adelchis' name with the emperor's name next to it, later without Adelchis' name but with the emperor's name, either alone or with his wife, and finally with Adelchis' name flanked by that of the pope, John VIII.
In Philip Grierson and Mark Blackburn's text, Medieval European Coinage (MEC), of the coinage struck during Adelchis' principality only six coins out of eighteen known are listed and described with the aid of photographs. Despite the scant prominence given to Adelchis' coinage the MEC is nevertheless used as a reference in catalogs with indications such as "MEC 1, 1113," where MEC indicates the initials of the series, 1 the first volume, and 1113 the 1113th coin in the catalog. Coins pertinent to the coinage of Adelchis, all in the first volume, are catalogued from 1113 to 1118. The individual coins analyzed in the volume and used in the illustrations are those in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.
Another cataloging source, equally used, is the BMC Vand, that is, the catalog of coins of the Vandals and other peoples, found in the British Museum, edited by Warwick William Wroth and published in London in 1911. Adelchis' coinage is mentioned within the framework of Benevento coinage, and the coins in the museum are depicted in Table XXV (4-6) and described from pages 183 to 186. Types not in the collection are also described.
Less internationally used but more detailed are the studies published in Italy by Giulio Sambon in 1912, those contained in vol. XVIII of the CNI (Corpus Nummorum Italicorum) and Memmo Cagiati's text of 1916-17. In particular, Cagiati's text lists all the specimens then known with their description, representing them through drawings.
After the annexation of the Lombard kingdom to the Carolingian empire (774), the Benevento domain had remained the only one of the Lombard territories to retain its de facto independence, despite the fragmentation of its territories around 840. Adelchis was prince from 854 until his death in May 878. He was Radelchis' son and succeeded his brother Radelgar as the latter's son Gaideris was still in infancy.
The independence of the principality was threatened by the continuing assaults of the Saracens in the south, pressure from Emperor Louis II from the north, and pressure from the Byzantines stationed in the theme of Longobardia in the east.
In 860 Adelchis was defeated at Bari by Muslim forces and then sought help from the Frankish emperor Louis II, who defeated the Saracens in 866 and recaptured Bari in 871. Louis II then sought to consolidate his control over the principality by quartering troops in Benevento's fortresses. Adelchis reacted by taking the emperor prisoner while he was a guest in the princely palace in Benevento.
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Coinage of Adelchis of Benevento
The coinage of Adelchis, prince of Benevento, constitutes a special chapter in the Lombard coinage of Benevento and bears witness to the political changes that took place during his principality. The period in which Adelchis minted runs from 854, when he became prince of Benevento, to 878; his coinage is centered on the denier, a silver coinage that became widespread in Europe following Charlemagne's rise to power.
The fortunes of Adelchis' principality are linked to a remarkably turbulent historical period, punctuated by wars in which Emperor Louis II was involved. The latter tried to place the principality within his own sphere of power, but Adelchis, after many vicissitudes, managed to retain control of it. These events are reflected and represented by the various types that followed one another in the issues: at first with the presence of Adelchis' name alone, then Adelchis' name with the emperor's name next to it, later without Adelchis' name but with the emperor's name, either alone or with his wife, and finally with Adelchis' name flanked by that of the pope, John VIII.
In Philip Grierson and Mark Blackburn's text, Medieval European Coinage (MEC), of the coinage struck during Adelchis' principality only six coins out of eighteen known are listed and described with the aid of photographs. Despite the scant prominence given to Adelchis' coinage the MEC is nevertheless used as a reference in catalogs with indications such as "MEC 1, 1113," where MEC indicates the initials of the series, 1 the first volume, and 1113 the 1113th coin in the catalog. Coins pertinent to the coinage of Adelchis, all in the first volume, are catalogued from 1113 to 1118. The individual coins analyzed in the volume and used in the illustrations are those in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.
Another cataloging source, equally used, is the BMC Vand, that is, the catalog of coins of the Vandals and other peoples, found in the British Museum, edited by Warwick William Wroth and published in London in 1911. Adelchis' coinage is mentioned within the framework of Benevento coinage, and the coins in the museum are depicted in Table XXV (4-6) and described from pages 183 to 186. Types not in the collection are also described.
Less internationally used but more detailed are the studies published in Italy by Giulio Sambon in 1912, those contained in vol. XVIII of the CNI (Corpus Nummorum Italicorum) and Memmo Cagiati's text of 1916-17. In particular, Cagiati's text lists all the specimens then known with their description, representing them through drawings.
After the annexation of the Lombard kingdom to the Carolingian empire (774), the Benevento domain had remained the only one of the Lombard territories to retain its de facto independence, despite the fragmentation of its territories around 840. Adelchis was prince from 854 until his death in May 878. He was Radelchis' son and succeeded his brother Radelgar as the latter's son Gaideris was still in infancy.
The independence of the principality was threatened by the continuing assaults of the Saracens in the south, pressure from Emperor Louis II from the north, and pressure from the Byzantines stationed in the theme of Longobardia in the east.
In 860 Adelchis was defeated at Bari by Muslim forces and then sought help from the Frankish emperor Louis II, who defeated the Saracens in 866 and recaptured Bari in 871. Louis II then sought to consolidate his control over the principality by quartering troops in Benevento's fortresses. Adelchis reacted by taking the emperor prisoner while he was a guest in the princely palace in Benevento.
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