Archbishop of Cologne Facts for Kids

The Archbishop of Cologne is a very important leader in the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia, a region in Germany. For a long time, the archbishop was not just a religious leader but also ruled a special state within the Holy Roman Empire. From 1356 to 1801, the archbishop was one of the powerful "prince-electors" who chose the Holy Roman Emperor. This made them very influential!

Since the early days of the Catholic Church, there have been 94 bishops and archbishops in Cologne. Some of them retired, and a few were chosen to help out before they officially took office. Several archbishops of Cologne have also led the German Bishops' Conference, which is a group of all the Catholic bishops in Germany.

Today, Cardinal Rainer Woelki is the Archbishop of Cologne. He took on this role in 2014, moving from Berlin where he was also a cardinal archbishop.

Leaders of Cologne's Church
See also

Leaders of Cologne's Church

Early Bishops (88–784)

The very first leaders of the church in Cologne were called bishops. It's a bit tricky to know all the details about the earliest ones, like Maternus I, because there isn't much information from that time. However, we know that a bishop named Maternus II was part of an important meeting in Rome around 313 AD.

Here are some of the early bishops:

Maternus I (around 88–128)
Paulinus
Marcellinus
Aquilinus
Levoldus (around 248–285)
Maternus II (around 285–315)
Euphrates (around 315–348)
Severinus (around 348–403)
Ebergisil I ? (around 403–440)
Solatius (around 440–470)
Sunnovaeus (around 470–500)
Domitianus (active around 535)
Charentinus (active around 570)
Eberigisil II ? (around 580–600 ?)
Remedius (around 600 ? –611 ?)
Solatius (around 611 ? –622)
Cunibert (around 623–663)
Bodatus (around 663–674)
Stephen (674–680)
Adelwin (680–695)
Giso (695–708)
Anno I (708–710)
Faramund (710–713)
Agilolf (713–717)
Reginfried (718–747)
Hildegar (750–753)
Bertholm (753–763)
Rikulf (763–784)

Archbishops of Cologne (784–1238)

After 784, the leaders of the church in Cologne were called archbishops. This meant their role became even more important.

Hildebold (784–818)
Hadbold (818–842)
Hildwin (842–849)
Günther (850–864)
Hugo Welf (864)
Wilbert (870–889)
Hermann I (890–924)
Wigfried (924–953)
Bruno I (953–965)
Volkmar (965–969)
Gero (969–976)
Warin (976–984)
Ebergar (984–999)
Heribert (999–1021)
Pilgrim (1021–1036)
Hermann II (1036–1056)
Anno II (1056–1075)
Hildholf (1076–1078)
Sigwin (1078–1089)
Hermann III (1089–1099)
Friedrich I (1100–1131)

Saint Engelbert II of Berg, Archbishop of Cologne

Bruno II von Berg (1131–1137)
Hugo von Sponheim (1137)
Arnold I (1138–1151)
Arnold II von Wied (1152–1156)
Friedrich II von Berg (1156–1158)
Rainald of Dassel (1159–1167)
Philipp von Heinsberg (1167–1191) – He gained the title of Duke of Westphalia and Angria in 1180. From then on, all future archbishops of Cologne also held this duke title.
Bruno III von Berg (1191–1192)
Adolf I von Berg (1192–1205)
Bruno IV von Sayn (1205–1208) (in opposition, meaning he was a rival claimant)
Dietrich I von Hengebach (1208–1215) (in opposition)
Engelbert II von Berg (1216–1225)
Heinrich I von Mulnarken (1225–1237)

Archbishop-Electors of Cologne (1238–1803)

From 1238, the Archbishops of Cologne became even more powerful, holding the title of "Prince-Elector." This meant they were one of the special rulers who had the right to choose the new Holy Roman Emperor. This made them very important figures in European politics.

Name	From	To	Notes
Konrad von Hochstaden	1238	1261
Engelbert II von Falkenburg	1261	1274
Siegfried II of Westerburg	1274	1297
Wikbold I von Holte	1297	1304
Heinrich II von Virneburg	1304	1332
Walram von Jülich	1332	1349
Wilhelm von Gennep	1349	1362	He was the first Elector of Cologne under the Golden Bull of 1356, a very important law that set out how emperors were chosen.
Adolf II von der Marck	1363	1363
Engelbert III von der Marck	1364	1369
Kuno von Falkenstein	1370	1371
Friedrich III von Saarwerden	1372	1414
Dietrich II von Moers	1414	1463
Ruprecht of the Palatinate	1463	1480
Hermann IV of Hesse	1480	1508
Philip II of Daun-Oberstein	1508	1515
Hermann V von Wied	1515	1546	He tried to change religious practices in the area. He later changed his own beliefs, which led to him being removed from his position.
Adolf III of Schauenburg	1546	1556
Anton of Schauenburg	1556	1558
Gebhard I von Mansfeld-Vorderort	1558	1562	He was one of the first members of the Schmalkaldic League, a group of Protestant rulers.
Friedrich IV of Wied	1562	1567
Salentin von Isenburg-Grenzau	1567	1577	He left his church role in 1577 to get married and continue his family name. He later had a successful military career.
Gebhard II Truchsess von Waldburg	1577	1583	He changed his religious beliefs in 1582. This led to a conflict called the Cologne War, which decided who would be the archbishop.
Ernest of Bavaria	1583	1612	During his time, the Pope's official representative (Nuncio) was permanently set up in Cologne.
Ferdinand of Bavaria	1612	1650	He was part of a family tradition where younger sons often became important church leaders.
Maximilian Henry of Bavaria	1650	1688
Joseph Clemens of Bavaria	1688	1723	He faced trouble for supporting France during the War of the Spanish Succession.
Clemens Augustus I of Bavaria	1723	1761	He was the last person from the Wittelsbach family to hold this important position.
Maximilian Frederick of Königsegg-Rothenfels	1761	1784
Maximilian Franz of Austria	1784	1801	Parts of the archbishop's territory were taken over by France in 1795.
Anton Viktor of Austria	1801	1803	The remaining lands of the archbishopric were taken over by other rulers in 1803, ending its role as a state.