Richerzeche
In the 12th century the Richerzeche was founded in Cologne as a secular brotherhood or an association of the rich and ruled the city through self-appointed representatives of its own association. They lost their power for a short time in the middle of the 14th century to the powerful Cologne weavers, but returned to their offices in 1370/71. In 1396 their power finally ended.
history
Emergence
The city's first administration was a body made up of the families of the Cologne patriciate , to which other social classes had no access. After the first city expansion in 1106 ( Niederich , Oversburg ) and the one that followed in 1182, the previously independent special communities were incorporated into the city. The concerns of the local wealthy families, now have a stake in the city administration, which came Aldermen after, by combining with it to such a designated Brotherhood merged, the Richerzeche . The exact time of origin is disputed; the first documentary evidence is dated today to the year 1183/1184.
Brotherhood power
After its creation, the brotherhood of the Richerzeche had gradually acquired a number of communal powers without actually being a municipal authority . So it exercised the market supervision, it granted the guild rights (the merchants of the Gaffel Eysenmarkt received the first guild rights) and also granted civil rights. The two heads of the Richerzeche were the mayors elected from among their members for one year , one of whom was always a member of the Schöffenkolleg and carried the city seal . Thus, they were the city's law enforcement officers . With these, the so-called officials , the former mayors, also belonged to the highest committee of the Richerzeche . This body governed and represented the city in close association with the Schöffenkolleg and the council. As a sign of their official dignity, the mayors wore a white staff and, in contrast to the councilmen, who were dressed entirely in black, wore a purple or red striped official costume . There was no right to membership in the Richerzeche. The prerequisite for admission was belonging to the wealthy respected families of the city. In the 14th century the brotherhood increasingly lost influence in the council .
Decline of power
Triggered by the misconduct of their top executives in office and dignity , i.e. the incumbent and former mayors, their reputation dwindled. So that was in rotation retired now as assessor of urban Cologne Rentkammer bestallte , Rudger Hirzelin of Grine accused of municipal funds to have embezzled. He was executed that same year.
After constantly increasing political pressure, it was not difficult for those involved in the weavers' uprising to force the dissolution of the unpopular ruling body. In the declaration of the officials in mid-1370 it was said that
"The office of the Richerzeche from its own, free, good will, unrestricted and unconstrained and for the common good of the city of Cologne hand over its rights and possessions with all accessories for ever in the hands of the council."
However, this agreement only lasts for a short time. The short reign of the powerful guild of the city, want Office , organized Weber ended in 1371. The humiliated patrician allied with the merchants and gaffs and took over an escalating street battle, the Cologne Weberaufstand , near the Waidmarktes revenge on their political adversaries. Even those who had already been defeated were slain, others and their families were driven out of the city and their property was confiscated. The regime of Richerzeche once again assumed power in Cologne, but no longer had the initial abundance of power and lost their positions permanently in the 1396th
End of the Richerzeche
The Richerzeche formed the preliminary stage of an elected city council. After the forced change of power in 1396 by the guilds, the division of narrow and wide councils into two parts was replaced by the formation of a unified magistrate . This college consisted of 36 men who presided over the individual gaffs and were appointed by them. The so chosen additionally appointed 13 gentlemen (infirmities) from the gaffs. In this way, Cologne and its citizens freed themselves from the claim to power of the sexes and in 1396 gave themselves their first corporate constitution with the Verbundbrief .
Amendment of the Verbundbrief
A lack of transparency in the work of the council, its nepotism and legal violations increased so much that the gaffs revolted in 1512/13 . The incumbent council was disempowered and corrupt members were expelled. The rebels elected 178 shop stewards , the so-called Great Dispatch , who took power in the city. Ten of the leading councilors were publicly beheaded on the Heumarkt , among them the mayors Johann Rheidt and Johann Oldendorp . With this rigorous procedure and the subsequent additions to the Verbundbrief with the so-called Transfixbrief , the uprising prevented a relapse into similar arbitrariness as that of the sexes before 1396.
Verbundbrief and Transfixbrief formed the "Basic Law" of the Free Imperial City of Cologne for centuries and are considered the first civil constitution.
See also
literature
- Klaus Dreesmann: Constitution and proceedings of the Cologne council courts . University thesis, Essen 1959. (Dissertation; University of Cologne , Faculty of Law)
- Carl Dietmar: The Chronicle of Cologne . Chronik-Verl., Dortmund 1991, ISBN 3-611-00193-7 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Peter Fuchs, "Chronicle of the History of the City of Cologne, Volume I", 1990, p. 122
- ↑ Mayors had a term of one year and then had to take a two-year break. Then they could be re-elected.
- ^ Carl Dietmar: Die Chronik Kölns , 1991, p, 119
- ^ Carl Dietmar: Die Chronik Kölns , 1991, p. 121
- ↑ Klaus Dreesmann: Constitution and proceedings of the Cologne council courts , 1959, pp. 11, 14
- ^ Carl Dietmar: Die Chronik Kölns , 1991, p. 154