#Canossa

[whencyclopedia]

Matilda of Tuscany

Matilda of Canossa (c. 1046-1115), the Countess of Tuscany (r. 1055-1115) and Vice-Queen of Italy (r. 1111-1115), was the final head of the noble House of Canossa following the deaths of her father in 1052 and her elder brother in 1055. One of the most influential women of medieval Europe, Matilda is noted for her military and political prowess, her ceaseless patronage of the Christian Church, and her defense of Papal authority. Though a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire, Matilda often acted independently. Her conflict with the imperial state included a nearly lifelong military conflict with Henry IV (1050-1106), the German king (r. 1056-1105) and Holy Roman Emperor (r. 1084-1105).

Most of Matilda’s holdings, including her family’s ancestral castle of Canossa, were located across the plains of the Po Valley in northern Italy, an invaluable intersection of trade routes between the Italian peninsula and Italy’s northern neighbors beyond the Alps. In the southern part of Matilda domain beyond the Po Valley was the Duchy of Tuscany, rugged with mountains in its north, rural hills throughout, and vital roads connecting to Rome. With these possessions and an impenetrable alliance with the Christian Church, she became an influential political figure in medieval Europe. Matilda was often referred to as the Great Countess (la Gran Contessa) by contemporaries and scholars, despite this title being lesser than her truer title, that of the Margravine of Tuscany. Although she was considered the rightful heir to her father’s northern Italian holdings, Henry IV never recognized her claims to the lands within the Holy Roman Empire.

Early Life

Matilda was a descendent of the House of Canossa, a noble family established by her great-grandfather Atto Adalbert of Lucca (d. 988), a 10th-century Lombard military leader from Lucca and vassal to the German kings of Italy. Adalbert and his son Boniface expanded their domain and by 1027, the Canossa family's influence encompassed the counties of Brescia, Cremona, Ferrara, Mantua, Modena, Reggio Emilia, and Veneto. In 1027, Roman Emperor Conrad II (r. 1027-1039) transferred the Duchy of Tuscany to Boniface. As Schevill explained,

With Tuscany added to his strength ... Boniface completely dominated central and northern Italy; and since he clung to his superior, the emperor, with more consistency than was usual among feudal magnates, he served as the main pivot of the imperial power in Italy in his day. (53)

In 1037, Boniface married Beatrice of Lorraine (c. 1020-1076), a direct descendent of Charlemagne and Conrad’s niece by way of marriage. Matilda was born to Boniface and Beatrice in 1046 after two older siblings: Frederick and Beatrice. Matilda’s place of birth has been disputed, though scholars have suggested Canossa, Lucca, and Mantua. On 6 May 1052, when Matilda was six years old, Boniface was killed by an unknown assailant, likely by an assassin of Holy Roman Emperor Henry III (r. 1046-1056). Frederick inherited the feudal land of their father while Beatrice governed on his behalf. Matilda’s older sister died shortly after Boniface in 1053, though details are unclear.

In 1054, Beatrice married her first cousin Duke Godfrey the Bearded of Upper Lorraine, while Matilda was betrothed to the elder Godfrey’s son, Godfrey the Hunchback. Although Pope Leo IX, another cousin of Beatrice, gave them his blessing to marry, neither received consent from their king, Henry III.

Using the marital transgression to his advantage in 1055, Henry imprisoned Beatrice and Matilda at Bodfeld in current-day central Germany and claimed their holdings. Frederick, the only son and heir to Boniface, is thought to have died in 1055, leaving the young Matilda as the sole child of the Canossa dominion. Since women did not have the right to own, govern, or inherit feudal land under imperial law, Frederick’s death made not Matilda but Henry III, Beatrice’s closest adult male kin, the rightful heir to Boniface.

The mother and daughter remained in captivity until Henry III suddenly died in October 1056. Until the adulthood of Henry’s heir, Henry IV, the widowed Queen Agnes acted as regent to the young king. In exchange for a renewed oath of fealty from Godfrey the Bearded, Agnes freed her deceased husband’s prisoners and authorized the marriage of Godfrey and Beatrice. Godfrey, therefore, controlled the Canossa holdings and established his court in the Duchy of Tuscany, where the family returned by the spring of 1057. Information concerning Matilda’s youth beyond these events is terse.

The marriage of Beatrice to Godfrey the Bearded remained intact despite Henry III’s efforts and was recognized by Queen Agnes. Matilda’s inheritance in Italy was passed to the governance of her stepfather, who, in 1064, also inherited the Duchy of Upper Lorraine. With her role as heir forfeited to her stepfather, Matilda abandoned her ancestral home in Italy in favor of her husband’s in Upper Lorraine. The betrothal to her cousin Godfrey the Hunchback was not fulfilled by marriage until May 1069 when Matilda was 23 years old and the elder Godfrey was expected to die after falling ill. Upon his death, the titles in Italy and Lorraine were transferred to the younger Godfrey. The only child of Matilda by Godfrey was Beatrice, named after her grandmother, but she died shortly after birth, sometime between May and August 1071.

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[primepaginequotidiani]

PRIMA PAGINA Eco Di Bergamo di Oggi giovedì, 10 aprile 2025

[andreacasadei]

ANDARE A CANOSSA...

che prima o poi tutti ci vengono a Canossa...

compreso Bismarck che non visse abbastanza per vederlo quando pronunciò "nach Canossa gehen wir nicht, weder körperlich noch geistig"....

[renatotor]

[hakonohanayome]

A White Rose in Bloom - Asumiko Nakamura

[ryunumber]

Can I get a Matilda di Canossa, Margravina of Tuscany?

Matilda of Canossa a.k.a. Matilda of Tuscany has a Ryu Number of 3.

[mamangasick]

A White Rose In Bloom

Asumiko Nakamura

[architetturacannibale]

io ci scherzavo sul fatto che il papa andasse con matilde mentre studiavo per l'esame di storia medievale ma non pensavo fossero.......gossip storicamente accertati.... the scream i scrumpt...

[fictpara]

Naming my blanket after CK3 is so funny cause I'm not. A player. Of CK3. I just watch videos about it. And when I saw the line "I need your clothes to build my cozy little jester nest" it rewired something in my brain and also I ended up with paras from it

[mauroburaniartist]

[frenchcurious]

Roberto Baldazzini - Planche originale pour la bande dessinée ''31.12.1999'' co-écrite avec Lorena Canossa (1992). - Source Little Nemo Auction House.

[primepaginequotidiani]

PRIMA PAGINA Il Fatto Quotidiano di Oggi giovedì, 06 marzo 2025

[castelliditalia]

Castello di Rossena in Terre Matildiche

Due passi sul far della sera, calpestando le Terre che furono di Matilde di Canossa,  in quell'ora del giorno quando l'animo solare si acquieta, la luce della grande Stella va a nascondersi, e la fantasia si popola di quelle creature che durante il giorno se ne sono state rintanate in oscuri labirinti, ben lontane dai nostri pensieri terreni, pazienti, guardinghe e silenziose. E mentre le ombre dilagano come una macchia d'olio che tutto velocemente inghiotte, i sensi si sintonizzano su frequenze più sottili, più affini al volo che al cammino. Le ultime luci infuocano i colori di fine estate, offrendo un anticipo d'autunno, la promessa di un tempo più lento e più consono alle esigenze dello spirito.

L'attrice Julia Rossi interpreta Matilde di Canossa, 04 Settembre 2021

"Ell'è luminosa quanto è fulgido l'astro di Diana: la fede l'illumina, la speranza l'avvolge in modo mirabil,  ed abita in lei il dono maggiore, la carità.  Ella adora il Verbo supremo, per cui tutto è stato creato;  ama e loda i suoi ministri, quando li trova modesti;  li ubbidisce con riverenza e li onora.  Odia i vizi, sa esaltar la virtù;  non l'esalta la buona fortuna, né la turbano le avversità:  in ogni cosa ella mostra discernimento;  la sua fama s'espande perenne per tutti i regni. Portan le vele oltre i mari l'eco delle sue imprese" 

(Descrizione della Contessa Matilde per opera di Doninzone di Canossa)

[mamangasick]

A White Rose In Bloom

Asumiko Nakamura

[renatotor]