Editing Matilda of Tuscany (section)

== Origins of the House of Canossa ==
[[File:Adalbert Atto.jpg|thumb|left|Adalbert-Atto of Canossa and his wife Hildegard surrounded by arches above their three sons Rudolph, Geoffrey (Gotofred), and the grandfather of Matilda, Tedald - [[Donizo]]'s ''Vita Mathildis'' ([[Vatican Library]], Codex Vat. Lat. 4922, fol. 20v)]] 
Although these names were only created by later generations, Matilda came from the noble [[House of Canossa]], also named the Attonids.<ref name="Fumagalli">Vito Fumagalli, ''Le origini di una grande dinastia feudale Adalberto-Atto di Canossa'' (in Italian), Tübingen 1971, pp. 74–77.</ref> The oldest proven ancestor of the House of Canossa was the nobleman [[Sigifred of Lucca|Sigifred]], who lived in the county of [[Lucca]] during the first third of the tenth century. He probably increased his sphere of influence in the area around [[Parma]] and in the foothills of the [[Apennines]]. His son, [[Adalbert Atto of Canossa|Adalbert-Atto]], was able to bring several castles in the foothills of the Apennines under his control in the politically fragmented region. Adalbert-Atto married Hildegard, of the [[Supponid]] Frankish noble family who had been very influential in northern Italy.

Adalbert-Atto built the [[Canossa Castle]] in the southwest of the mountains of [[Reggio Emilia]]. After the unexpectred death of King [[Lothair II of Italy]] in 950, Adalbert-Atto provided refuge in Canossa Castle to Lothair's widow, Queen [[Adelaide of Italy|Adelaide]], after [[Berengar II of Italy|Berengar of Ivrea]] attempted to take power in Italy and imprisoned her for a short time. King [[Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto I of East Francia]] then intervened in Italy and married Adelaide in 951. This resulted in a close bond between the House of Canossa and the [[Ottonian dynasty]]. Adalbert-Atto appeared in documents from the reign of Otto I as an advocate and he was able to establish contacts with the Papacy for the first time in the wake of the Ottonians. Otto I also awarded the counties of Reggio and [[Modena]] to Adalbert-Atto. In 977 at the latest, the county of [[Mantua]] was added to the domains awarded to Adalbert-Atto.{{sfn|Goez|2012|pp=14–16}}

Adalbert-Atto's son, [[Tedald of Canossa|Tedald]], continued the close ties to the Ottonian rulers from 988. Tedald was the grandfather of Matilda. In 996 he is listed as ''dux et marchio'' (Duke and Margrave) in a document. This title was adopted by all subsequent rulers of the House of Canossa,{{sfn|Goez|2006a|p=119}} an inheritance preventing disputes among the three sons of Tedald.

The rise of the family reached its apogee under Matilda's father, [[Boniface III, Margrave of Tuscany|Boniface]]. The three successive Canossa rulers (Adalbert-Atto, Tedald, and Boniface) instituted monasteries for their expansion of rule. The founded monasteries ([[Brescello]], [[Polirone Abbey|Polirone]], Santa Maria di Felonica) were established in places of transport and strategic importance for the administrative consolidation of their large estates. Three family saints (Genesius, Apollonius, and Simeon) were used to stabilize the House of Canossa's power structure and the family sought to exert influence on convents that had been in existence for a long time ([[Territorial Abbey of Nonantola|Abbey of Nonantola]]). Transfer of monasteries to local bishops and the promotion of spiritual institutions also enlarged their network of alliances. An appearance as the guardian of order consolidated their position along the ''[[Via Aemilia]]''.<ref name=goez1995a/> Historian Arnaldo Tincani was able to prove the considerable number of 120 farms in the Canossa estate near the [[Po (river)|Po river]].<ref>Arnaldo Tincani, "Le corti dei Canossa in area padana", pp. 276–278 in [[#g1994|Golinelli 1994]]</ref>