Atto, Adalberto

Adalbert Atto (or Adalberto Azzo) (died 13 February 988) was the firstCount of Canossa and founder of that noble house which eventually was toplay a determinant rôle in the political settling of Italy and theInvestiture Controversy in the eleventh and twelfth centuries.

Adalbert first appears in sources as a son of Sigifred of Lucca. He wasoriginally a vassal of King Lothair II and a miles of Adelard, Bishop ofReggio. He rose to prominence rapidly by sheltering Queen Adelaide in hiscastle at Canossa after she fled from the castle of Garda (951), whereBerengar II had imprisoned her.

In 958, he was made a count sine re, by Adelaide. He did not appear againas a count in documents until December 961, during Berengar''s ascendancy.On 20 April 962, he appeared as count of Reggio and Modena (comesRegensis sive Mutinensis). These appointments were probably a furtherproduct of his support for Adelaide and her new husband, Otto I ofGermany. With the queen, he negotiated a division of power with thebishop 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 citywalls. He appears with a similar title, comes comitatus Mantuanensis, inMantua in a letter of the abbess of Santa Giulia dated 10 June 977.

In 984, Adalbert appears as a margrave. When Henry II, Duke of Bavaria,was acclaimed as king that year, he united Parma, Piacenza, Bergamo,Cremona, and Brescia to Adalbert''s territories. However, Henry''susurpation of the throne was brief.

Adalbert Atto built a monastery at Canossa in 961, dedicated to S.Apollonio in 971. He also built a monastery at Brescello. He and hisfamily were all buried in S. Apollonio.
Adalbert married the Supponid Hildegard (Ildegarda) and had three sons:Geoffrey and Tedald, who became respectively bishop (970) and count(1001) of Brescia, and Rudolph, who predeceased him. He had a daughterPrangarda who married Manfred I of Susa.