Editing Lombards (section)

====Southern Italy and the Arabs, 836–915====
{{Main|History of Islam in southern Italy}}
Andrew II of Naples hired Islamic mercenaries and formed a Muslim-Christian alliance for his war with Sicard of Benevento in 836; Sicard responded with other Muslim mercenaries. The Saracens initially concentrated their attacks on [[Sicily]] and Byzantine Italy, but soon [[Radelchis I of Benevento]] called in more mercenaries, who destroyed [[Capua]] in 841. [[Landulf I of Capua|Landulf the Old]] founded the present-day Capua, "New Capua", on a nearby hill. In general, the Lombard princes were less inclined to ally with the Saracens than with their Greek neighbours of Amalfi, Gaeta, Naples, and Sorrento. [[Guaifer of Salerno]], however, briefly put himself under Muslim suzerainty.

In 847 a large Muslim force seized [[Bari]], until then a Lombard [[gastald]]ate under the control of [[Pandenulf of Bari|Pandenulf]]. Saracen incursions proceeded northwards until [[Adelchis of Benevento]] sought the help of his suzerain, Louis II, who allied with the Byzantine emperor [[Basil I]] to [[Louis II's campaign against Bari (866–871)|expel the Arabs from Bari in 869]]. An Arab landing force was defeated by the emperor in 871. Adelchis and Louis remained at war until the death of Louis in 875. Adelchis regarded himself as the true successor of the Lombard kings, and in that capacity he amended the ''[[Edictum Rothari]]'', the last Lombard ruler to do so.

After the death of Louis, [[Landulf II of Capua]] briefly flirted with a Saracen alliance, but [[Pope John VIII]] convinced him to break it off. [[Guaimar I of Salerno]] fought the Saracens with Byzantine troops. Throughout this period the Lombard princes swung in allegiance from one party to another. Finally, towards 915, [[Pope John X]] managed to unite the Christian princes of southern Italy against the Saracen establishments on the [[Garigliano]] river. The Saracens were ousted from Italy in the [[Battle of the Garigliano]] in 915.