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. Four of them resigned in 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 (Mosa Traiectum). 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 (in opposition) Dietrich I von Hengebach 1208–1215 (in opposition) Engelbert II von Berg 1216–1225, nephew of Bruno III above Heinrich I von Mulnarken 1225–1237

Archbishop-electors of Cologne, 1238–1803

Image 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 First Elector of Cologne under the Golden Bull of 1356 Adolf II von der Marck 1363 1363 Engelbert III von der Marck 1364 1369 Kuno II von Falkenstein (coadjutor) 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 Sought to reform religious practice in the Electorate; converted to Protestantism; deposed and excommunicated. Adolf III of Schauenburg 1546 1556 Anton of Schauenburg 1556 1558 Gebhard I von Mansfeld-Vorderort 1558 1562 A founding member of the Schmalkaldic League Friedrich IV of Wied 1562 1567 Salentin von Isenburg-Grenzau 1567 1577 Upon 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. Gebhard II Truchsess von Waldburg 1577 1583 Converted to Calvinism in 1582; married Agnes von Mansfeld-Eisleben (cousin once removed of the archbishop and Prince-Elector Gebhard I von Mansfeld-Vorderort); Competing archbishop elected; Cologne War decides the outcome. Ernest of Bavaria 1583 1612 Brother of William V, Duke of Bavaria; Papal Nunciature established permanently in Cologne. Ferdinand of Bavaria 1612 1650 Brother of Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria, nephew of Ernest of Bavaria. Principle of Secundogeniture. Maximilian Henry of Bavaria 1650 1688 First cousin of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria Joseph Clemens of Bavaria 1688 1723 Brother of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria. Put under Imperial ban for siding with France in the War of the Spanish Succession. Clemens Augustus I of Bavaria 1723 1761 Brother of Charles, Elector of Bavaria and Emperor. Last Wittelsbach to hold the office. Maximilian Frederick of Königsegg-Rothenfels 1761 1784 Maximilian Franz of Austria 1784 1801 The 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 Austria 1801 1803 The electorate's remaining territories were secularized and given to the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1803.

Modern archbishops of Cologne: 1824 to date Ferdinand August von Spiegel 1824–1835 Clemens August II Droste zu Fischering 1835–1845 Cardinal Johannes von Geissel 1845–1864 Cardinal Paul Melchers 1866–1885 Cardinal Philipp Krementz 1885–1899 Hubert Theophil Simar 1899-1902 Cardinal Anton Hubert Fischer 1902–1912 Cardinal Felix von Hartmann 1912–1919 Cardinal Karl Joseph Schulte 1920–1941 Cardinal Josef Frings 1942–1969 Cardinal Joseph Höffner 1969–1987 Cardinal Joachim Meisner 1988–2014 Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki since 2014

Auxiliary bishops

See also Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne Cologne Cathedral

References

External links List of Bishops and Archbishops of Cologne Archdiocese of Cologne (Erzbistum Köln) List of Bishops and Archbishops of Cologne Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom)