As "Prince of Salerno" he had the castle of Arechi as his residence, where he surrounded himself with nobles such as the Mazzacane, the Capano, the Dentice, the Carrano, the Britonio and many others, as well as artists, writers and intellectuals such as Agostino Nifo, Scipione Capece and Bernardo Tasso, the father of the better known Torquato Tasso (who started -when teenager- with him his literary works).
His wealth also allowed him to revive and restore nobility to the prestigious School of Medicine of Salerno, appointing its Prior the famous doctor Paolo Grisignano, author of the "Comment on the Aphorisms of Hippocrates" and inviting numerous and illustrious scholars to come and teach.
During his principality, Salerno returned for a few decades to appear among the main cities of the South Italy, resurrecting, albeit partially, the ancient glories of the Lombard and Norman princes.
His refusal to accept the Inquisition inside his possession in Salerno created a break between him and the Spanish government in southern Italy.
There, he organized a naval attack of French ships against Naples and Salerno, but it failed because the allied Turkish fleet didn't show up.