Road to Canossa

Henry at Canossa, history painting by Eduard Schwoiser [de] (1862)

The Road to Canossa or Humiliation of Canossa (Italian: L'umiliazione di Canossa), or, sometimes, the Walk to Canossa (German: Gang nach Canossa/Kanossa)[1] was the journey of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV to Canossa Castle in 1077, and his subsequent ritual submission there to Pope Gregory VII. It took place during the Investiture controversy and involved the Emperor seeking absolution and the revocation of his excommunication by the Pope who had been staying at the castle as the guest of Margravine Matilda of Tuscany.

According to contemporary sources, he was forced to supplicate on his knees, waiting for three days and nights before the castle gate while a blizzard raged, "one of the most dramatic moments of the Middle Ages". The episode has spurred much debate among medieval chroniclers as well as modern historians, who dispute whether the walk was a humiliating defeat for the emperor or a "brilliant masterstroke".[2]

  1. ^ Sohns, Peter (2005). Die Jagd nach den Zeugnissen (in German). BoD – Books on Demand. p. 17. ISBN 978-383342323-9.
  2. ^ "The Walk to Canossa: The Tale of an Emperor and a Pope". Medievalists Net. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2018.