Matilda of Tuscany

Timeline

1. 1055–1100Castle of Canossa · Emilia-RomagnaShe inherited her father's estates in childhood, later married twice without producing heirs, and held the territories alone. In 1077 Henry IV sought absolution from Pope Gregory VII at the castle of Canossa, with Matilda mediating. For the following decades she supported the papal faction with her castles, fortresses, and armies, becoming the core anti-imperial force in northern Italy.
2. 1110–1111Castle of Bianello · Emilia-RomagnaHenry V first led an army into Italy in 1110–1111. From May 6–11, 1111, he stayed at the castle of Bianello on his return journey and met Matilda; Donizone records that Matilda received titles such as imperial vicar of Italy. The so-called 'defeat of Henry V near Canossa in 1102' has no historical basis. The documented siege of Canossa was Henry IV's failed siege in 1092.
3. 1111–1115Bondeno · Emilia-RomagnaAfter the meeting at Bianello, Matilda accepted the emperor's overlordship to preserve her estates. In her later years she bequeathed large amounts of property to the Church, sowing the seeds of the later dispute over the so-called 'Matildine lands'. She died on July 24, 1115, at Bondeno di Roncore (near present-day Reggio Emilia), without direct heirs, and the Canossa family died out.