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Countess Matilda of Canossa (d. 1115) ruled over the territories of Tuscany and Emilia in Italy, and was a keen supporter of the papal reform movement. She sided with Pope Gregory VII against the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry IV, as is recorded in her biography, written shortly after her death by a monk called Donizo.
The shown illustration from the biography emphasizes Matilda's role as a peacemaking mediator in the conflict. She is shown seated under a canopy at her fortress in Canossa on the occasion of Henry's submission to Gregory in 177. Abbot Hugh of Cluny is to her right, and Henry himself is shown kneeling in front of her.
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