'Arechis I' (also ''Arigis'', ''Aretchis'', ) was the second
duke of Benevento from
591 to his death in
641, a reign of half a century. He was from
Friuli and was a relative of the dukes there, maybe a nephew of
Zotto, his predecessor. He was appointed by King
Agilulf in the spring of 591, after Zotto's death. He was practically independent because his duchy was separated from northern Italy by a stretch of
Byzantine territory.
He conquered
Capua and
Venafro in the
Campania and areas of the
Basilicata and
Calabria. He failed to take
Naples after a siege (Zotto had failed likewise), but he took
Salerno by the late
620s. He spent the last years of his reign establishing good relations with the
Roman Catholics of his duchy and making his son his successor. On his death, having survived many a king, his independence was assured and his domain passed to his son
Aiulf.