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Information about Quattro Castella in the Province of Reggio Emilia

The favorable geographic position of the town of Quattro Castella has yielded a large concentration of archeological material. Various hand-manufactured stone objects dating from the Paleolithic Period to the time of the Roman Empire have been found in the localities of Roncolo, Mangalano, Forche, Puianello, and Ghiardello. During the Middle Ages, organized communities were formed, and well-defined political and economic structures were set up. By the end of the Dark Ages, Mucciatella, Montecavolo, Roncolo, Salvarano, Monte Zagno, Monte Lucio, Bianello, and Monte Vetro were the main settlements in the territory of Quattro Castella. The religious organization of the territory revolved around the parishes of Bibbiano and Puianello, and the monastery at Canossa.

The four towers at Montevecchio, Bianello, Montezane, and Montelucio were built between the 10th and 11th centuries. This early fortified defense system facing the Po River Valley was to take on prime importance in relation to the historical events that unfolded across the territories of Matilda, Countess of Canossa. Bianello later became the property of Matilda, who expanded the village's fortification system and armed it. It was here in the "castrum Bibianelli" that Pope Gregory VII, upon intercession by Matilda, received Henry IV of Germany in 1077 and revoked his excommunication. It was also at Bianello that Matilda, by then quite elderly, was crowned by Henry IV vice queen of the Ligurian Kingdom or vicar to Italy for the emperor of Germany.

After Matilda died in 1115, her lands were the object of disputes between the papal state and the empire. As a consequence, the territory was broken up into many small properties held by vassals and ecclesiastical bodies. In 1160 the House of Canossa was invested with the Bianello fief, which remained under their jurisdiction for various centuries. At the beginning of the 15th century, the Duchy of Quattro Castella came under the rule of the Este family, who placed limits on the local nobility's independence. After the feudal system was abolished in 1796, the territory of Quattro Castella was joined with other territories to form an independent town. The Kingdom of Italy was set up in 1859, and Quattro Castella became a free Comune.

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