Canossa

Canossa is a former castle of Matilda, Countess of Tuscany, situated in the foothills of the Apennines, in the province of Reggio Emilia and about eighteen miles from Parma.

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Going to Canossa is a term coined from European history, referring to a ruler's show of submission to win favor from the Pope. It originates in the story of Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII (see below). It was a practice that illustrated the church's monopoly on legitimacy and the power of the Pope.

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One of the most dramatic moments in the history of the western church came when Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV knelt in the snow at Canossa in 1077 and begged Pope Gregory VII to lift the ban of excommunication. The pope had prohibited lay control over the placing of clergy in the church (particularly the investiture of bishops) and, by securing the forgiveness of Pope Gregory VII, the emperor was also securing the imperial power that had been jeopardized by his excommunication.

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The end of the need for European rulers to go to Canossa is best displayed by Napoleon, who crowned himself to show he did not need the church's authority to rule. During the Kulturkampf of the 1870s in Germany, Otto von Bismarck declared that he would not go to Canossa.

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Matilda, Countess of Tuscany: REDIRECT Matilda of Tuscany...

Apennines: REDIRECT Apennine Mountainsr...

Province of Reggio Emilia: The Province of Reggio Emilia is one of the eight provinces of the Italian Region of Emilia-Romagna. The capital is the city Reggio Emilia....

Canossa related Images and Photos (experimental)

Mathild of Canossa on Horseback

The Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich IV Does Penance at Canossa Modena After