Canossa: un grande fraintendimento? Qualche riflessione

After a review of the different historiographical interpretations of the Canossa episode, the author examines the ritual of pacification celebrated by Henry IV and Gregory VII through symbolic actions that were not formalised but were rich in institutional values: the kiss of peace, the solemn Mass and the reconciliation banquet. The rapid succession of interpretations of its meaning elaborated by the groups and those involved in it or interested in it show that the ritual left more problems open than it solved and its political outcome was ambiguous and programmatically apt to generate misunderstandings.