Corteo Storico Matildico is a reminiscent event of historical nature, which takes place annually in

Quattro Castella Quattro Castella ( Reggiano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Emilia in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about west of Bologna and about southwest of Reggio Emilia. Quattro Castella borders the following munic ...

, in the province of

Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia (; ), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until Unification of Italy, 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 172,51 ...

, since 1955.

The Coronation

The event takes place generally on the last Sunday in May and recalls the episode of the coronation of

Matilda of Canossa Matilda of Tuscany (; or ; – 24 July 1115), or Matilda of Canossa ( ), also referred to as ("the Great Countess"), was a member of the House of Canossa (also known as the Attonids) in the second half of the eleventh century. Matilda was one ...

at the hands of

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...

, occurred at the foot of the Castle of Bianello between 6 and 10 of May of the year 1111. The Emperor was the son of Henry IV who, 30 years before, obtained from

Pope Gregory VII Pope Gregory VII (; 1015 – 25 May 1085), born Hildebrand of Sovana (), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 April 1073 to his death in 1085. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. One of the great ...

, through the mediation of Matilde, the "''forgiveness of Canossa''". ''Donizone from Canossa'', Matilda’s biographer and chronicler of that time, says that the Emperor reached the Castle of Bianello when back from

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and he crowned the Grand Duchess with the title of "''Imperial Vicar Vice-Queen of Italy''". This episode was the decisive step towards the

Concordat of Worms The Concordat of Worms (; ), also referred to as the ''Pactum Callixtinum'' or ''Pactum Calixtinum'', was an agreement between the Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire which regulated the procedure for the appointment of bishops and abbots i ...

. Historical sources report that the ceremony took place in the churchyard of the ''St Antonino Church'', not far from where the event is currently taking place.

The Show

The show is the theatrical re-enactment of the historical episode, with the figure of Matilda and of the Emperor

, commonly interpreted by known figures from the entertainment, culture and sport. The event has traditionally different medieval shows: * The performances of the flag-wavers and musicians’ districts of

: (
Contrada di Monticelli
'
Contrada della Corte

Contrada della Maestà della Battaglia
* The parades and performances of the main historical groups of

: (''Contrada di Borgoleto, Gruppo Storico dei Villici
Gruppo Storico Arcieri delle Quattro Castella
'') * The Quintana Ring: it is a game of skill for knights. Participants must be able to fit with the spear while riding rings, which become gradually smaller. * The “Gran Passo d’Armi”, otherwise known as "''the Bridge Game''" or "the ''Fight of the Bridge''": Two teams of 7 fighters face in a duel over a wooden bridge. The team that manages to bring down all the members of the opposing team from the bridge, leaving at least one of its members still on, is the winner

Curiosity

Corteo Storico Matildico takes its name from the final ''parade'' (the translation of "parade" in Italian is "corteo") of more than 1.000 figures in the period costume, along the streets of

. The event is currently organized by the Municipality of Quattro Castella, by a committee of volunteers known as the "''Matildic Committee''". In the editions prior to 1984 it was organized by the ''Pro Loco of Quattro Castella''. The historical parade was interrupted only once in its history from 1972 to 1984, the year in which it has been restarted.

References

{{reflist

External links

Castle of Bianello official site

Corteo Storico official Site
1955 establishments in Italy Recurring events established in 1955 Medieval reenactment Annual events in Italy Spring (season) in Italy Matilda of Tuscany Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor