List of the archbishops and bishops of Cologne

The seven electors elect Henry VII as king. The electors, recognizable by the coats of arms above their heads, are, from left to right, the Archbishops of Cologne , Mainz and Trier , the Count Palatine of the Rhine, the Duke of Saxony, the Margrave of Brandenburg and the King of Bohemia . Picture chronicle of the elector Balduin of Trier, Trier around 1340. (State Main Archive Koblenz, inventory 1 C No. 1 fol. 3b)

The Archbishop of Cologne was from 953 to 1801 metropolitan over the Archdiocese of Cologne , imperial prince over the archbishopric of Cologne and from the middle of the 13th century at the same time one of the electors in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation . After the Treaty of Lunéville , Napoleon Bonaparte initiated the dissolution of the diocese structures on the left bank of the Rhine . A secularization followed. With the papal bull De salute animarum , after the Congress of Vienna (1815), the Cologne Shepherd was designated for the function of Metropolitan of the Rhenish Church Province in 1821 ; In 1824/25, Ferdinand August von Spiegel, an archbishop of Cologne, took up this office for the first time, which was revived by the rewrite of Pius VII .

To date (2019) the list includes 95 bishops and archbishops of Cologne known by name. Eight of them resigned from office and four resigned from office. Eight were coadjutors before taking office and seven were freely appointed by the Pope. Nine of them were also cardinal as archbishops , one moved to the curia , where he became cardinal. Six archbishops were chairmen of the German Bishops' Conference .

The following people were bishops, from 795 archbishops of Cologne or headed the diocese as diocesan administrators

	Surname	from	to	Remarks
	Maternus	313/314		first bishop of Cologne known by name, perhaps also bishop of Trier
	Euphrates	approx. 343	346	Any news that he was a heretic may not be accurate
	Severin	397		is said to have learned of the death of Saint Martin of Tours through heavenly signs
	Carentinus	565	567	is said to have expanded the cathedral church and equipped it with galleries
	Everigisil	590		is said to have been cured of headaches by dust from the well of St. Gereon
	Solatius	614
	Sunnoveus	before 620
	Remedius of Cologne	before 627
	Kunibert	approx. 627	after 648	most important bishop between Severinus and Hildebold
	Botandus	after 648	approx. 690
	Stephan	approx. 690	692/694
	Giso	692/694	711
	Anno I.	711/715	715
	Faramundus	711/716	723
	Alduin	721/723	737
	Reginfrid	737	743/745
	Agilolf	746/747	after 748	hardly identical with the martyr of the same name resting in the Agilolfus Shrine in Cologne Cathedral, with whom he was probably confused
	Hildegar	753
	Berthelmus	762
	Ricolf	768	777/782
Archbishops	since 795
	Hildebold	787	818	was a spiritual advisor to Charlemagne . Hildebold is not the traditional builder of the old Cologne Cathedral.
	Hadebald	819	841	gave a ship to Saint Ansgar of Bremen for his missionary trip to Denmark
	Liutbert	842		later also Bishop of Munster
	Hilduin	842	848/849	formerly abbot of the cathedral of Saint-Denis near Paris
	Gunthar of Cologne	850	863	discontinued; † 873; probably builder of the old cathedral
	Willibert	870	889	buried as the first archbishop in the cathedral
	Hermann I.	889/890	924	Nickname "the pious"; received from Pope Stephan VI. new relics for the church destroyed by the Normans
	Wichfrid	924	953	was also Archkaplan of King Otto the Great
	Brun (Bruno I.)	953	965	was also Duke of Lorraine and thus united for the first time secular and spiritual power. The Archbishops of Cologne also remained secular rulers until 1801.
	Folcmar	965/966	969	raised the bones of the martyr Maurinus in St. Pantaleon in 966
	Gero	969	976	donated the Gero Cross in Cologne Cathedral
	Was in	976	985	gave part of the St. Peter's stick to Trier
	Everger	985	999	arranged for the burial of Empress Theophanu in St. Pantaleon
	Heribert	999	1021	built the Palatine Chapel at Cologne Cathedral
	Pilgrim	1021	1036	first Arch Chancellor for Italy . Since then, this office has remained associated with the Archbishopric of Cologne.
	Hermann II.	1036	1056	Nickname "The Noble", grandson of Empress Theophanu
	Anno II.	1056	1075	was expelled from the city in 1074, but it was retaken four days later
	Hildolf	1076	1078	was forced on the Cologne residents by King Heinrich IV
	Sigewin from Are	1078	1089	the burned church built St. Maria ad Gradus again
	Hermann III. from Hochstaden	1089	1099	Nickname "the rich"
	Friedrich I of Schwarzenburg	1100	1131	consecrated St. Norbert von Xanten as a priest in Cologne Cathedral in 1112
				Gottfried von Cuyk was elected archbishop in 1131, but not confirmed.
	Bruno II of Berg	1131	1137	consecrated his ancestral castle Altenberg an der Dhünn in 1133 as a Cistercian monastery
	Hugo von Sponheim	1137		died just four weeks after his consecration
	Arnold I.	1137	1151	Under him in 1147 St. Bernard of Clairvaux preached in Cologne Cathedral on the Second Crusade .
	Arnold II of Wied	1151	1156	founded the Benedictine monastery in Schwarzrheindorf
	Friedrich II. Von Berg	1156	1158
	Rainald von Dassel	1159	1167	arranged for the relics of the Three Kings to be transferred to Cologne
	Philip I of Heinsberg	1167	1191	acquired Westphalia for the Archbishopric of Cologne
	Bruno III from mountain	1191	1193	Resignation from office to become a Cistercian monk in Altenberg; † around 1200
	Adolf I of Altena	1193	1205	deposed because of infidelity by Pope Innocent III. ; † 1220
	Brun (o) IV. Von Sayn	1205	1208	was captured by his predecessor and arrested for two years
	Dietrich I. von Hengebach	1208	1212/1215	Deposed in the name of the Pope in 1212; Deposition confirmed by the Pope in 1215; † around 1224
	Engelbert I. von Berg	1216	1225	murdered by a relative
	Heinrich I. von Müllenark	1225	1238	had Engelbert's murderers executed and the canonization of his predecessor
	Konrad I. von Hochstaden	1238	1261	on August 15, 1248 laid the foundation stone for the Gothic Cologne Cathedral and on March 3, 1255 for the Cistercian Abbey Church in Altenberg (= Altenberg Cathedral ); one of the most important politicians on the archbishop's throne
	Engelbert II of Falkenburg	1261	1274	moved the archbishop's residence from Cologne to Bonn
	Siegfried von Westerburg	1275	1297	suffered a decisive defeat in the battle of Worringen
	Wigbold from Holte	1297	1304	The Gothic cathedral choir was completed during his tenure.
				Wilhelm von Jülich: Appointed by the Pope, he fell in the battle of Mons.
	Heinrich II of Virneburg	1304	1332	freely appointed by the Pope
				Adolf von der Mark was postulated by the Cologne Cathedral Chapter in 1332 , but was not appointed by the Pope.
	Walram from Jülich	1332	1349	freely appointed by the Pope; signed a friendship treaty with the city of Cologne in 1334
	Wilhelm of Gennep	1349	1362	freely appointed by the Pope; promoted land peace in the Holy Roman Empire
				Johann von Virneburg was elected Archbishop, but not appointed by the Pope
	Adolf II of the Mark	1363	1364	was bishop of Münster from 1357-1363; freely appointed by the Pope; resigned to save his family from extinction, married and became the progenitor of the Kleve-Mark family
	Engelbert III. from the mark	1364	1368	was Bishop of Liège 1345-1364 ; since 1366 without management; freely appointed by the Pope
	Kuno von Falkenstein	1366	1370	1366–1370 administrator of the archbishopric with the title of coadjutor; 1362–1388 Archbishop of Trier
	Friedrich III. from Saar Werden	1370	1414	appointed by the Pope on the proposal of the Chapter
	Dietrich II of Moers	1414	1463	since 1415 also administrator of the diocese of Paderborn
	Ruprecht of the Palatinate	1463	1478	inability to serve since 1473; was deposed by the emperor in 1473 and forced to resign in 1478
	Hermann of Hesse	1473	1480	1473–1480 administrator of the archdiocese
	Hermann IV of Hesse	1480	1508	since 1498 also Bishop of Paderborn ; alleviated the archbishopric's debt burden and promoted liturgy and church life
	Philip II of Daun	1508	1515	held a provincial council and implemented reforms
	Hermann V. von Wied	1515	1547	was also Bishop of Paderborn; supported the Reformation movement ; Resignation
	Adolf von Schaumburg	1546	1547	Administrator of the Archdiocese
	Adolf III. from Schaumburg	1547	1556	coadjutor since 1533; raised new features of its predecessor partially back on and participated in the Council of Trent in part
	Anton I of Schaumburg	1556	1558	died before he was ordained priest and bishop
	Johann Gebhard von Mansfeld	1558	1562	died before he was ordained priest and bishop
	Friedrich IV of Wied	1562	1567	was not confirmed by the Pope; Resignation from office; † 1568
	Salentin of Isenburg	1567	1577	from 1574 also Bishop of Paderborn; resigned, married to save his family from extinction
	Gebhard I. von Waldburg	1577	1582	confessed to the Protestant faith and married; discontinued; † 1601
	Ernst of Bavaria	1583	1612	was also bishop of Munster, Liège, Hildesheim, Freising; first of the five bishops from the House of Wittelsbach (after 1478)
	Ferdinand of Bavaria	1612	1650	coadjutor since 1595, was also bishop of Hildesheim, Liège, Munster, Paderborn; founded the seminary in 1615
	Maximilian Heinrich of Bavaria	1650	1688	was coadjutor, at the same time bishop of Liège, Hildesheim, Munster and abbot of the Imperial Abbey of Stablo-Malmedy ; retired in 1673 to the monastery of St. Pantaleon
		1688	1688	Wilhelm Egon von Fürstenberg was elected coadjutor and capitular vicar
	Joseph Clemens of Bavaria	1688	1723	was also bishop of Liège, Hildesheim, Freising, Regensburg; lived in exile in France from 1702 to 1715
	Clemens August I of Bavaria OT	1723	1761	coadjutor since 1722, was also Bishop of Munster, Paderborn, Hildesheim, Osnabrück and Grand Master of the Teutonic Order ; most glamorous baroque prince on the archbishop's throne; built the Augustusburg and Falkenlust palaces in Brühl
	Maximilian Friedrich von Königsegg-Rothenfels	1761	1784	was also Bishop of Munster; In 1777 founded the Academy in Bonn, among other things, which developed into a refuge for the Church's Enlightenment
	Maximilian Franz of Austria OT	1784	1801	coadjutor since 1780, was also Bishop of Munster and Grand Master of the Teutonic Order ; last archbishop who was also secular ruler
	Anton Viktor of Austria OT	1801	1801	later Grand Master of the Teutonic Order , was first elected Bishop of Munster, then Archbishop of Cologne in 1801 and also accepted both elections, but could no longer take up his offices due to the military situation.
		1801	1822	Johann Hermann Joseph Freiherr von Caspars zu Weiss as vicar of the capitol
		1822	1825	Johann Wilhelm Schmitz as capitular vicar
	Ferdinand August von Spiegel	1824 (appointed)	1835	reorganized the archdiocese and took care of the priestly offspring
	Clemens August II. Droste zu Vischering	1835	1845	was arrested because of his firm stance in mixed marriages and since 1837 has been prevented from office
		1837	1841	Johann Hüsgen as Apostolic Vicar General
		1841		Johann Jakob Iven as Apostolic Administrator
		1841	1845	Johannes von Geissel as managing coadjutor
	Johannes Cardinal von Geissel	1845	1864	coadjutor since 1841; was chairman of the Fulda Bishops' Conference ; In 1842, together with King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia, laid the foundation stone for the continued construction of Cologne Cathedral
		1864	1866	Johann Anton Friedrich Baudri as capitular vicar
	Paul Melchers	1866	1885	Arrested 1874–1885 during the Kulturkampf ; Cardinal of the Curia since 1885, was chairman of the Fulda Bishops' Conference
	Philip III Cardinal Krementz	1885	1899	previously Bishop of Warmia ; was chairman of the Fulda Bishops' Conference
	Hubert Theophil Simar	1899	1902	previously Bishop of Paderborn
	Antonius II Cardinal Fischer	1902	1912	supported the work of the Volksverein for Catholic Germany
	Felix Cardinal von Hartmann	1912	1919	previously Bishop of Munster; was chairman of the Fulda Bishops' Conference; sought pastoral care for the soldiers
		1919	1920	Joseph Vogt as capitular vicar
	Karl Joseph Cardinal Schulte	1920	1941	previously Bishop of Paderborn; 1930 divided the diocese of Aachen from the archbishopric of Cologne
		1941	1942	Emmerich David as capitular vicar
	Joseph Cardinal Frings	1942	1969	bravely stood up against National Socialist injustice; was chairman of the Fulda Bishops' Conference; Resignation from office for reasons of age
	Joseph Cardinal Höffner	1969	1987	since 1968 coadjutor and titular archbishop of Aquileja, bishop of Münster; was chairman of the German Bishops' Conference; Resignation from office for reasons of age
		1987	1989	Hubert Luthe , auxiliary bishop , diocesan administrator
	Joachim Cardinal Meisner	1989	2014	previously Bishop of Berlin; Resignation from office for reasons of age
		2014	2014	Stefan Heße , vicar general , diocesan administrator
	Rainer Maria Cardinal Woelki	2014		2003–2011 auxiliary bishop in Cologne, 2011–2014 archbishop of Berlin; appointed Archbishop of Cologne on July 11, 2014; Inauguration on September 20, 2014

See also

Portal: Cologne Cathedral  - Overview of Wikipedia content on the subject of Cologne Cathedral

literature

• Josef Kleinermanns: The saints on the episcopal resp. Archbishop's chairs of Cologne. Depicted according to the sources. Bachem, Cologne 1896 ( digitized version )
  • 1. The saints in the 1st millennium. 1896
  • 2.1. The H. Heribertus. 1898

• Friedrich Wilhelm Ebeling: The German bishops up to the end of the 16th century - presented biographically, literarily, historically and in terms of church statistics . 1. Volume, Leipzig 1858, pp. 175–328 .
• Ernst Friedrich Mooyer: Directories of the German bishops since the year 800 AD. Geb. Minden 1854, pp. 28–29 .
• Ulrich Helbach and Joachim Oepen , eds. Metropolitan Chapter of the High Cathedral of Cologne: Archbishops of Cologne and their resting places since 313rd 10th edition, Verlag Kölner Dom, Essen 2017; 11th edition, Cologne Cathedral publishing house, Essen 2019.

Web links

Commons : Bishops of Cologne  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Directory of the bishops and archbishops of Cologne

Individual evidence

1. ^ Wilhelm Janssen: Walram von Jülich (1304-1349). In: Bernhard Poll (Ed.): Rheinische Lebensbilder . Volume 4. Rheinland-Verlag, Düsseldorf 1970, p. 39.