“[This] marvelous biography peels back layer upon layer of previous myth to render a startling new portrait of the countess. . . . Absorbing.” —Publishers Weekly Tuscan Countess is a fast-paced and colorful exploration of the life of Matilda of Canossa (c. 1046–1115), a woman who loved a pope and was loved by him, successfully defied the Holy Roman Emperor, and changed the map of Europe. Matilda of Canossa, the “Great Countess,” was a remarkable woman. Her personal power was so extraordinary that even centuries after her death she became the first woman to be interred in St. Peter's Basilica. She is best remembered for her role in the conflict between the papacy and the Holy Roman emperor, the climax of which took place at her castle of Canossa. This unique biography is also a journal of the author's travels through contemporary Tuscany as she explores the palaces where Matilda held court, the blood-stained plains on which her soldiers battled, the churches and cathedrals she endowed, and the fortified aeries where she sought refuge. Readers will be swept along on this engrossing journey retracing the steps of a courageous and brilliant woman.

This is a fast-paced and colorful exploration of the life of Matilda of Canossa (c. 10461115), the woman who loved a pope and was loved by him, successfully defied the Holy Roman Emperor, and changed the map of Europe. A new kind of history, this biography also carries the flavor of present-day Italy. Matilda of Canossa, the Great Countess

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1906 edition. Excerpt: ... CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE Hildebrand, Gregory VII., born Henry III. of Germany crowned Emperor Matilda, Countess of Tuscany, born .... Leo IX., Count of Hapsburg, Pope .... Boniface, Margrave of Tuscany, died .... Beatrice marries Godfrey of Lotharingia Beatrice and Matilda prisoners in Germany . Leo IX. died 19th April Beatrice and Matilda return to Italy .... Victor II., Bishop Gebehard, Pope Hildebrand Legate to France Henry III., Emperor of Germany, died Victor II. died 28th July Stephen IX., Frederic of Lorraine, Pope Benedict X., Conti, anti-pope . Nicholas II., Bishop Gerard, Pope .... General Council at Rome Nicholas II. died 27th July Alexander II., Anselm Badagius, Pope Cadalous, Bishop of Parma, antipope .... Matilda's first battle Matilda's second battle Matilda marries Godfrey le Bossu Empress of Germany retires to Rome . . . Henry IV. married to Bertha Alexander II. died 21st April Gregory VII., Hildebrand, Pope .... 1013 1046 1046 1049 1054 1054 1054 1054 1055 1055 1056 1056 1057 1057 1058 1058 1059 1061 1061 1061 1061 1061 1061 1062 1065 1073 1074 Godfrey of Lotharingia died Council at Rome Cenci's attack on Gregory VII Henry IV. excommunicated Godfrey le Bossu died . Beatrice died Saxon rebellion Henry at Canossa, January Matilda's bequest Saxons elect Rudolph Death of Empress of Germany Gregory VII. sends crown to Rudolph Death of Rudolph Guibert, Bishop of Ravenna anti-pope Excommunication of Henry confirmed Henry invades Italy Matilda retreats to Canossa Henry invests Canossa . Henry lays siege (two years) to Rome Gregory's last Council in Rome Gregory retires to St Angelo Henry enters Rome Guibert, anti-pope, Clement III. Henry invests St Angelo Robert Guiscard rescues Gregory Gregory goes to Salerno Henry crowned by...

This is the first account in English of the entire, forty year military career of one of the most powerful women of the Middle Ages. Challenging the boundaries between military and gender history, it explains how one famous noblewoman rose to the defense of the reforming papacy, defeated the Holy Roman Emperor and turned the tide of the first great war between Church and State. The Military Leadership of Matilda of Canossa adopts an interdisciplinary perspective towards the abundant and diverse sources for her life, reading the narrative sources against the letters, polemics, diplomas and canonical collections. It combines these to reconstruct Matilda’s campaigns in painstaking detail, and reconsiders the limits of medieval women’s military agency in light of her demonstrable successes. Both scholarly and accessible, all Latin quotations in the book are translated and the introduction provides a primer on the Investiture Contest. This work will be of greatest value to specialists in medieval gender, military and church history.

Once there was a gospel written in Christ's own hand: a treasure of almost unimaginable magnitude, referred to by the Cathars of medieval France as The Book of Love... Fresh from her successful search for the long-hidden scrolls written by Mary Magdelene, journalist Maureen Pascal now finds herself on the trail of the legendary lost gospel known as the Book of Love. But just as there were those who would stop at nothing to seize and suppress the Book of Love seven centuries ago, so there are those today who are equally determined that its radical message should never be revealed. In a race across Italy and France, new dangers await Maureen and her lover Sinclair as they begin to uncover secrets and shine new light on the hidden corners of Christianity. Combining expert research with dazzling plot twists, The Book of Love is sure to thrill readers as they follow Maureen's search for clues through some of the world's greatest art, architecture and history, until a potentially fatal encounter reveals the Book of Love to her -- and to us.

"This book describes the roots of a set of ideals that effected a radical transformation of eleventh-century European society that led to the confrontation between church and monarchy known as the investiture struggle or Gregorian reform. Ideas cannot be divorced from reality, especially not in the Middle Ages. I present them, therefore, in their contemporary political, social, and cultural context."—from the Preface

Excerpt from Matilda, Countess of Tuscany These dignitaries, independent of each other and of Germany, were, in point of fact, so many petty sovereigns whose power became both absolute and hereditary. They not only imposed taxes upon their subjects, but exacted labour from them without remuneration, and not infrequently demanded their time and strength in carrying out works of defence or utility. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.