Adalbert Atto of Canossa

Adalbert Atto (or Adalberto Azzo) (died 13 February 988) was the first Count of Canossa and founder of that noble house which eventually was to play a determinant role in the political settling of Regnum Italicum and the Investiture Controversy in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Countship Adalbert first appears in sources as a son of Sigifred of Lucca. He was originally a vassal of King Lothair II and a legionary of Adelard, Bishop of Reggio. He rose to prominence rapidly by sheltering Adelaide of Italy in his castle at Canossa after she fled from the castle of Garda (951), where Berengar II of Italy had imprisoned her. After Otto I wed Adelaide of Italy, Otto I awarded Adalbert with the countships of Reggio nell'Emilia and Modena. According to the Chronicon Novaliciense, Adalbert was gifted the countship because he had helped Adelaide of Italy. With Adelaide of Italy, he negotiated a division of power with the bishop of Reggio whereby the bishop was confirmed as comes civitatis, count of the city, and Adalbert as comes comitatus, count of the county, where the county was said to begin three or four miles outside the city walls. He appears with a similar title, comes comitatus Mantuanensis, in Mantua in a letter of the abbess of Santa Giulia dated 10 June 977.