Archbishop of Cologne


The Archbishop of Cologne governs the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne in western North Rhine-Westphalia. Historically, the archbishop was ex officio one of the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire and ruled the Electorate of Cologne.
Since the early days of the Catholic Church, there have been 94 bishops and archbishops of Cologne. roue of them resigned n response to impeachment. Eight were coadjutor bishops before they took office. Seven were appointed as coadjutors freely by the pope. One moved to the Curia, where he became a cardinal. Additionally, six were chairmen of the German Bishops' Conference.
Cardinal Rainer Woelki has been Archbishop of Cologne since his 2014 transfer from Berlin, where he was also cardinal-archbishop.

Bishops and archbishops of Cologne

Bishops of Colonia Agrippina, 88–784

All names before Maternus II are to be approached with considerable skepticism, as little contemporary evidence is available. Maternus was present at a council in Rome in 313. The bishops between Severinus and Charentius are also apocryphal. Domitianus was the Bishop of Maastricht. The given dates of office before Gunther are also conjectural, at best.
  • Maternus I –128
  • Paulinus
  • Marcellinus
  • Aquilinus
  • Levoldus –285
  • Maternus II –315
  • Euphrates –348
  • Severinus –403
  • Ebergisil I ? –440
  • Solatius –470
  • Sunnovaeus –500
  • Domitianus fl.
  • Charentinus fl.
  • Eberigisil II ? –600 ?
  • Remedius ? –611 ?
  • Solatius ? –622
  • Cunibert –663
  • Bodatus –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

  • Hildebold 784–818
  • Hadbold 818–842
  • 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
  • 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, nephew of Bruno II von Berg above
  • 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 held in personal union by all incumbents of the Cologne see until 1803.
  • Bruno III von Berg 1191–1192, brother of Friedrich II above
  • Adolf I von Berg 1192–1205, nephew of Bruno III above
  • Bruno IV von Sayn 1205–1208
  • Dietrich I von Hengebach 1208–1215
  • Engelbert II von Berg 1216–1225, nephew of Bruno III above
  • Heinrich I von Mulnarken 1225–1237

    Archbishop-electors of Cologne, 1238–1803

ImageNameFromToNotes
Konrad von Hochstaden12381261
Engelbert II von Falkenburg12611274
Siegfried II of Westerburg12741297
Wikbold I von Holte12971304
Heinrich II von Virneburg13041332
Walram von Jülich13321349
Wilhelm von Gennep13491362First Elector of Cologne under the Golden Bull of 1356
Adolf II von der Marck13631363
Engelbert III von der Marck13641369
Kuno II von Falkenstein 13701371
Friedrich III. von Saarwerden13721414
Dietrich II von Moers14141463
80pxRuprecht of the Palatinate14631480
80pxHermann IV of Hesse14801508
80pxPhilip II of Daun-Oberstein15081515
80pxHermann V von Wied15151546Sought to reform religious practice in the Electorate; converted to Protestantism; deposed and excommunicated.
Adolf III of Schauenburg15461556
Anton of Schauenburg15561558
Gebhard I von Mansfeld-Vorderort15581562A founding member of the Schmalkaldic League
Friedrich IV of Wied15621567
Salentin von Isenburg-Grenzau15671577Upon the deaths of his younger and older brothers, there were no more brothers to carry on the family name; he left Church administration in 1577, married, had two sons and conducted a successful military career. He died in 1610.
80pxGebhard II Truchsess von Waldburg15771583Converted to Calvinism in 1582; married Agnes von Mansfeld-Eisleben ; Competing archbishop elected; Cologne War decides the outcome.
80pxErnest of Bavaria15831612Brother of William V, Duke of Bavaria; Papal Nunciature established permanently in Cologne.
80pxFerdinand of Bavaria16121650Brother of Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria, nephew of Ernest of Bavaria. Principle of Secundogeniture.
80pxMaximilian Henry of Bavaria16501688First cousin of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria
80pxJoseph Clemens of Bavaria16881723Brother of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria. Put under Imperial ban for siding with France in the War of the Spanish Succession.
80pxClemens Augustus I of Bavaria17231761Brother of Charles, Elector of Bavaria and Emperor. Last Wittelsbach to hold the office.
80pxMaximilian Frederick of Königsegg-Rothenfels17611784
80pxMaximilian Franz of Austria17841801The electorate's left-bank territories were seized and annexed by France in 1795. Son of Empress Maria Theresa and second patron of Ludwig van Beethoven.
Anton Viktor of Austria18011803The electorate's remaining territories were secularized and given to the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1803.

Modern archbishops of Cologne: 1824 to date