Women at Canossa: The Role of Elite Women in the Reconciliation between Pope Gregory VII and Henry IV of Germany (January 1077)

TY - JOUR

T1 - Women at Canossa

T2 - The Role of Elite Women in the Reconciliation between Pope Gregory VII and Henry IV of Germany (January 1077)

AU - Creber, Alison Madeleine

PY - 2017/12

Y1 - 2017/12

N2 - Modern historians rarely mention the presence of royal and aristocratic women at Canossa in January 1077. Yet contemporaries emphasised the important roles played by several women, including Matilda of Tuscany, Adelaide of Turin, Empress Agnes and Queen Bertha. This paper seeks to re-appraise royal and aristocratic women’s actions at Canossa in the light of gender studies, and also of recent scholarship on political diplomacy and mediation, in order to emphasise their centrality to political events in the eleventh century.

AB - Modern historians rarely mention the presence of royal and aristocratic women at Canossa in January 1077. Yet contemporaries emphasised the important roles played by several women, including Matilda of Tuscany, Adelaide of Turin, Empress Agnes and Queen Bertha. This paper seeks to re-appraise royal and aristocratic women’s actions at Canossa in the light of gender studies, and also of recent scholarship on political diplomacy and mediation, in order to emphasise their centrality to political events in the eleventh century.

KW - intercession

KW - mediation

KW - conflict resolution

KW - oaths, vows, curses

KW - political history

KW - medieval history

KW - Adelaide of Turin

KW - Matilda of Tuscany

U2 - 10.12977/stor681

DO - 10.12977/stor681

M3 - Article

SN - 1825-411X

VL - 13

SP - 1

EP - 44

JO - Storicamente

JF - Storicamente

M1 - 13

ER -