Arrighetto Capece—Madam Beritola

The marriage of Arrighetto Capece and Madam Beritola Caracciola is tested by political upheaval and prolonged separation, then restored through the family’s successive reunions. Their story turns a change of rulers into a private catastrophe: Arrighetto is captured, Beritola flees while pregnant with their second child, and the family is scattered before news of his survival can bring them together again.

Marriage and Political Rupture

After the death of Frederick II, Arrighetto, a Neapolitan gentleman, held authority in Sicily under Manfred, who was crowned king there. Arrighetto was married to Madam Beritola Caracciola, a noble and beautiful Neapolitan lady. When Charles I of Anjou defeated and killed Manfred at Benevento, Arrighetto prepared to flee rather than become subject to his lord’s enemy. His intentions became known, however, and Sicilians seized him and other supporters of Manfred, delivering them to Charles along with control of the island.

Beritola’s Flight and the Separation

In the confusion following the change of power, Beritola did not know what had happened to her husband and feared the worst. She abandoned her possessions and escaped while pregnant, taking their son Giusfredi, about eight years old, with her. At Lipari she gave birth to their second son, Scacciato, and arranged for a nurse before setting out by ship to return to her relatives in Naples. The vessel was driven instead to Ponza, interrupting her intended journey and leaving the family’s fate unresolved. Arrighetto remained in captivity, separated from his wife and children.

Arrighetto’s Return to Power

The separation ended through another political reversal. During the revolt against Charles, people stormed the prison where Arrighetto was held, killed his guards, and freed him. They then made him their captain in the effort to expel and kill the French. Arrighetto came into particular favor with Pedro of Aragon, who restored his honors and possessions. Although he had heard nothing of Beritola or Giusfredi since his capture, he learned that they had been recovered and sent a brigantine carrying gentlemen to bring them to him.

Reunion and Restoration

News of Arrighetto’s survival arrived at a family banquet while the company was still at table. The report transformed a reunion that had already brought Beritola together with her son and the brothers together with one another: Arrighetto was alive, restored to his former standing, and eager to welcome them. Beritola, Giusfredi, and their companions left for Sicily aboard the brigantine, taking Spina with them, and were received by Arrighetto in Palermo. The marriage thus closes not with the escape that first separated the couple, but with their return to a shared household, surrounded by their reunited family and renewed ties of affection and gratitude.