Work / monument · monument

Canossa Castle

10th century · 10th century

Canossa Castle is a ruined fortress in the Apennines south of Reggio Emilia, Italy, the seat of the house of Canossa, which held the March of Tuscany from 1027. In January 1077 Emperor Henry IV waited there for three days in the snow to obtain Pope Gregory VII's forgiveness, as guest of Countess Matilda. 'Going to Canossa' became a proverb for humble submission.

Canossa Castle
Image: Paolo da Reggio · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

March of Tuscany

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Canossa Castle. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/canossa-castle
MLA
“Canossa Castle.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/canossa-castle. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Canossa Castle.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/canossa-castle.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Canossa Castle’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/canossa-castle (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻