What do Matilda of Canossa, Tullia d’Aragona and Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia have in common? Each left an indelible mark on the history of Italy. In 1076, Matilda, widowed at 30, inherited the Tuscan properties of her paternal grandfather, the first Count of Canossa, and the lands of her husband, the Duke of Lower Lorraine.

Her ancestors had been loyal to the monarchy, but during her father’s reign, the family switched alliances from the emperor to the pope and Matilda sided with, advised and willed her domains to the pope. That same year the Investiture Controversy, a disagreement as to whether the pope or monarch should install (invest) church officials, had reached a peak with Pope Gregory VII excommunicating Henry IV. Pope Gregory was staying with Matilda and Henry’s journey to the pope asking for forgiveness is known as the “Walk to Canossa.”