Archbishop of Cologne
The Archbishop of Cologne is an archbishop representing the Archdiocese of Cologne of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and northern Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany and was ex officio one of the electors of the Holy Roman Empire, the Elector of Cologne, from 1356 to 1801.
Since the early days of the Catholic Church, there have been ninety-four bishops and archbishops of Cologne. Seven of these ninety-four retired by resignation, including four resignations which were in response to impeachment. Eight of the bishops and archbishops were coadjutor bishops before they took office. Seven individuals were appointed as coadjutors freely by the Pope. One of the ninety-four moved to the Curia, where he became a cardinal. Additionally, six of the archbishops of Cologne were chairmen of the German Bishops' Conference.
Currently, Rainer Woelki is the Archbishop of Cologne, since his 2014 transfer from Berlin, where he had been 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 c. 88–128
- Paulinus
- Marcellinus
- Aquilinus
- Levoldus c. 248–285
- Maternus II c. 285–315
- Euphrates c. 315–348
- Severinus c. 348–403
- Ebergisil I ? c. 403–440
- Solatius c. 440–470
- Sunnovaeus c. 470–500
- Domitianus fl. c. 535
- Charentinus fl. c. 570
- Eberigisil II ? c. 580–600 ?
- Remedius c. 600 ? –611 ?
- Solatius c. 611 ? –622
- Cunibert c. 623–663
- Bodatus c. 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
- 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
- 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
| 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 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 | 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 ; 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 | |
| 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