What was the humiliation of Canossa in 1077?
The humiliation of Canossa
L'umiliazione di Canossa
25–28 January 1077. Pope Gregory VII and the emperor Henry IV were fighting over who should appoint bishops, and the pope had excommunicated the emperor.
Where: Italy
What happened
Pope Gregory VII and the emperor Henry IV were fighting over who should appoint bishops, and the pope had excommunicated the emperor. In January 1077 Henry crossed the Alps in winter and stood for three days, dressed as a penitent, at the gate of Canossa, the castle in the Apennines where the pope was the guest of Countess Matilda. On 28 January Gregory received him and lifted the excommunication. Italian still says andare a Canossa for swallowing your pride and asking forgiveness, though the quarrel itself went on for decades.
Say it
Andare a Canossa vuol dire umiliarsi e chiedere perdono.
Going to Canossa means humbling yourself and asking for forgiveness.