Benevento
HISTORICAL SUMMARY
A legend narrates that Benevento was founded by Diomedes landed in Italy after the destruction and fire of the city of Troy. Actually, according to the story, the city was founded by the Osci before the Samnites took the control. The word “malies” (or Malocis), probably an oscan or samnite word, could be at the origin of the first name of the city that was Maloenton, which was followed by the latin name of “Maleventum” or ”Maluentum”. In 275 B.C. the Romans defeated Pyrrhus who arrived in Italy with an unknown animal for local people, the elephant. During this period the name of the city changed again – from “Maleventum”, considered as bad luck, to “Beneventum”. In 571 the Longobardi founded the first duchy and the first duke to be named was Zotto, until 591. The last Longobardi duke was Arechis II, Desiderius son-in-law, until his death in 787. The Longobardi duchy lasted about 5 centuries and then the church sovereignty took the control of the city. Several conquest attempts were tried by Frederik II and Manfred of Sicily, who was murdered during the Battle of Benevento against Charles, the Count of Anjou. The church sovereignty lost the control of the town during the war among the House of Anjou and the Crown of Aragon. During the 17th century the city suffered from pestilences, famines and earthquakes that increased the poverty and only with the Pope supremacy Benevento rose again. In 1688 a devastating earthquake destroyed the city that was reconstructed thanks to an economic help from archbishop Orsini, later proclaimed Pope Benedict XIII. In 1860 Salvatore Rampini's troops conquered Benevento and it joined The Reign of Italy. During the Second World War the city was bombed by Allies: 2.000 people died and over half of the city was destroyed. Huge damages were caused by a flood in 1949. After that, Benevento never stop to grow up.
Contatti ESN Maleventum ESN Ancona Contacts +39 346 0191282 www.esnmaleventum.it benevento@esn.it erasmo.dabenevento EsnMaleventum Via G. De Nicastro, 13 82100, Benevento