On the Way to Toscana
1066-1084
The counts of Canossa were an ancient noble family that since the tenth century ruled much of Toscana, Emilia, and parts of Lombardy. But in 1066 nothing remained of this house save Mathilda, the young daughter of marquis Bonifacio who had died in 1052. Mathilda's mother, Beatrice of the house of Ardennes, was a great German cow of a woman, and was regarded as the ruler of Toscana since her husband's death. Her hobbies included eating, drinking, and stalking horrified page boys. But the woman held great influence over Pope Alexander II, and none dared to oppose her.
Mathilda, though also plump of body and of no great beauty, was in all other ways completely different from her mother. Her great wisdom and ability to put people at ease were great assets in her governance of her father's ancestral lands around Canossa and in northern Italy. The citizens of the cities of Modena, Ferrara, Mantua, and Brescia supported Mathilda without question, and she was called by them the Grand Contessa.
Still unmarried at twenty, Mathilda was a tempting bride for any nobleman in Europe, for with her would come the vast Italian holdings of her parents. Suitors came all the way from France and Germany to ask for her hand. But Mathilda was determined not to become a tool in Europe's political games, and so she kept refusing all suitors. It was chance that led to her marriage in January 1067. While attending a tourney in Modena, the countess was surprised when a young, handsome knight knelt in front of her and brazenly asked her to marry him. Impressed by his reckless bravery as well as his good looks, Mathilda agreed to the marriage, and the knight, one Angelo of Modena, adopted the name of Canossa for himself. Mathilda was pleased with the arrangement, as it meant that the Canossa inheritance would not pass to any outsiders. It did not take long before she was great with child.
Angelo, who was appointed his wife's marshal, proved useful in many ways. He began training the citizen levies in the arts of battle, improving their equipment and tactics considerably throughout Mathilda's early reign. Under his supervision, training grounds were built in the cities, and connections with local mercenary captains were established to ensure that they could be counted on in the event of an invasion. While Mathilda was not one to think of conquests, she recognized the volatility of Italian politics, combined with the ever-growing attempts of expanding Imperial influence, and was happy to fund her husband's military developments.
Mathilda's first child was born in October 1067, a daughter who was named Giovanna. While the countess had wished for a son who could be heir to Toscana, she nevertheless praised God for her firstborn. Soon she was expecting again, but this did not prevent her from working tirelessly for the good of her lands. She began by funding the harvesting of rich forest reserves in the northern Apennines and the valley of the Po, and later built sawmills to aid in construction and expansion of settlements. While her ancestral seat was at Canossa, Mathilda spent much time in the larger cities of her realm, particularly Mantua which was the richest, and was a well-known figure among her people.
Angelo and Mathilda soon had more children. Their eldest son, Federigo, was born in October 1068. The realm rejoiced as Federigo, an Italian, was now the legitimate heir to Toscana. Not only that, but through his Ardennes grandmother, he could lay claim to some counties in Lorraine, particularly Metz whose count had died in early 1069. But not all of Beatrice's influence on the family was good. Born in August 1069, Mathilda's second son Eugenio was stunted, with an oversized head and twisted arms and legs, which court physicians pronounced to be the fault of inbreeding that also plagued Beatrice.
Nonetheless, Mathilda loved all her children and cared for Eugenio as best as she could. She soon gave birth to two more healthy sons, Paolo in June 1070 and Sergio in May 1071. Even a sudden bout of illness that afflicted the elderly steward Michele and the spymaster Aurelio did not dampen the spirits in the court.
In the meantime, Pope Alexander II had passed away and the Curia elected the Archbishop of Gniezno Bogumil, who took the name John XX. Wary of the growing Tuscan power and eager to escape its influence, the new Holy Father invited foreigners to his court, particularly Normans from Sicily and England. It was not long before Norman influence in Rome was at its peak, and the Duke of Normandy Robert, heir to the kingdom of England, enjoyed a close personal friendship with the Pope.
Meanwhile the cities of Italy grew, with populations of Brescia and Mantua rising significantly thanks to the expansion financed by Mathilda. Mathilda's family seat was not forgotten either, as she hired engineers to repair and renovate the old Roman Via Aemilia, and soon also to expand it across the Emilia around Modena and Canossa. Mathilda also promoted fish exports in Ferrara, supported families hurt by the Mantuan fire of 1074, and funded the establishment of courts and magistrates across the lands, ensuring that people could work and do business without fear of thieves or brigands.
Illness, however, continued to be an ever-present scourge in central Italy. The city of Genoa was struggling with typhoid, while malaria threatened all who lived near the coastal marshes in Toscana and Romagna. The court of Canossa was also not spared, as spymaster Aurelio was struck with leprosy (God's punishment for his deceitful ways, some whispered) and died soon after. Also chancellor Adalberto and steward Michele succumbed to illness a few years later. Fortunately, Mathilda's children were spared.
In November 1072, the elderly Beatrice d'Ardennes died after overeating, and Mathilda's son Federigo became Duke of Toscana at barely four years of age. The boy was moved to the ducal residence at Firenze, but his parents often visited him, ensuring that he was well cared for. Mathilda, however, had less time for such visits due to her responsibilities as a ruler, so it fell to Angelo to instruct the boy. Under his father's influence, young Federigo undertook military training, though Mathilda had wished for him to be educated in the ways of the court first. The countess was worried about her son's chosen path and it had even upset her so much that she had a brief falling out with her husband and even considered taking on a lover; the stress caused her to miscarry in August 1074. But she soon calmed and allowed her son to take his chosen path in life, reconciling with her husband.
Mathilda's other children were also growing up and it was time to provide for their futures. Giovanna began her education as a lady of the court, while the unfortunately deformed Eugenio was sent to study with monks, where he would be shielded from the ridicule of the world. It was in a way ironic, given what became of him later, that young Paolo was slow to learn to talk, but Mathilda patiently spent time with him and in the end the boy learned his words as well as any other, and soon was studying with teachers at the court. Mathilda was also blessed with another child, a daughter named Camilla, who was born in September 1076. A few years later, another daughter, Stefania, was born.
In May 1078, Pope John XX passed away from an illness, and the Curia now elected another Italian, Mathilda's neighbor bishop Olderico of Padova, who took the name Urban II. Olderico was a man of dubious character, secretive and suspicious. Trusting neither his fellow Italians nor his predecessor's Norman friends, he surrounded himself with men from the North, hard and loyal. Even so, he remained distrustful of the European nobility and particularly Imperial influence in Italy, and so, on Christmas Day of 1078, he sent out a proclamation calling for all Christians to take up arms in liberation of the holy places of Jerusalem. Some listened to him, some did not, but the religious fervor stirred up by the proclamation ensured that the nobility would have its hands full for the foreseeable future.
Mathilda's young son Paolo was progressing well in his studies, and in contrast to his earlier problems, began to be a very good speaker. When he was eight, he befriended a famous (or, some would say, infamous) poet Ottavio Foscaro, whose passionate poems compared only to the amorous escapades and daring cons that he performed in his youth. Still, Mathilda received him at her court and allowed him to instruct Paolo in the fine arts of oration and composition, which he did until his death of old age several years later.
Meanwhile, young Sergio also began his training with the clergy, with an eye to a career in the Church which would give the family more influence. Eugenio, also, progressed well in his studies despite his physical handicaps, and was known as a person of good heart, even to the point of indiscriminate mercy and forgiveness of great wrongs. He also befriended an old hermit in the Apennines, one Abelino, who lived in solitude because of his critical views of the Church which placed him at odds with established authorities.
Mathilda's hired engineers had finished the expansion of Via Aemilia, and the countess soon put them to work on planning an expansion of her ancestral castle at Canossa. This took several years but was finally finished in November 1082, making Canossa one of the better-fortified places in Italy. Mathilda's lands continued to turn a healthy profit and soon she was able to gather enough reserves to import rare scrolls from Constantinople and Cordoba, including works of Aristotle and other classical thinkers, collecting them in a library at Mantua.
Meanwhile, young Giovanna grew up to be a willful woman, magnanimous to her friends but vengeful to those who crossed her. It was time to find a husband for her, and with her being eldest daughter of a prestigious and respected family, there was no shortage of suitors. But Mathilda was in no hurry, as she wanted to ensure that her daughter's husband would be a man worthy of her. The first suitor, Amedeo of the republic of Treviso, was turned away on account of his low birth as well as his notorious cruelty. The second suitor, Magnus from faraway Iceland, also proved unacceptable due to being of questionable mental capacity. It was only in March 1084 that a suitable husband presented himself. Young count Norbert de la Marche, only sixteen, had come to rule his county after the untimely death of his father a few years before. By all accounts and appearances, he was a man of good and gentle nature, as well as pious manner and good looks. His impassioned request soon won over the willful Giovanna and swayed the heart of Mathilda, and the marriage was agreed on. Norbert took Giovanna to France with him, and the two families became friends.
Mathilda's other daughters were also growing up fast. Camilla was studying successfully with the nuns, but young Stefania gave Mathilda much worry. Even at five, she was an impulsive, aggressive girl, and any new pets she was given would rarely survive a fortnight. Mathilda tried to comfort her youngest daughter as best as she could, but her thoughts were soon occupied with Federigo, who had matured in Firenze and was now assuming the reins of power...
-----------------------------
Canossa genealogy.