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Matilde di Canossa — The Great Countess on par with Kings and Popes
Wits, leadership, patronage to the arts, and a higher purpose made her an unmatched noble in Medieval times.
Simply put, Matilda of Tuscany, member of the House of Canossa, was one of the most powerful and influential people to have lived during the Middle Ages.
If the Middle Ages were represented with a chessboard, she would be one of its queens. In a time when women were considered at a lower level than men, Matilda went toe-to-toe with kings and princes, establishing her legacy as one of the most important and influential people in the Italian, hence European, Middle Ages.
She was born in high nobility, she had been taught at the highest levels of quality and for the highest level of leadership since a young age; she had been into European political matters since a child. Nevertheless, this wasn’t per se necessarily unique. What turned out to be unique was her intellect, skills, Christian faith, devotion, and true grit. In a convulsed historic time, plagued by constant and simultaneous events such as wars, excommunications, and changing alliances, her focus, leadership, and foresight never waned. Even when her personal life(is she had any such part of life, due to her position) was tumultuous, she…
