The Archbishopric of Cologne was one of the major ecclesiastical principalities of the Holy Roman Empire. Cologne itself became a free city in 1288, and the seat of the Archbishop was moved from Cologne Cathedral to Bonn. Its territories included a strip of territory along the Left Bank of the Rhine east of Jülich, as well as the Duchy of Westphalia on the other side of the Rhine, beyond Berg and Mark. The Archbishop was traditionally one of the Imperial Electors and the Archchancellor of Italy.
In the early 1580s the Archbishop converted to Lutheranism and attempted to secularize the Archbishopric. He was quickly ousted by a Bavarian army which installed the Bavarian prince Ernst as Archbishop. From then until the mid 18th century the Archbishopric was effectively a secundogeniture of the Wittelsbach rulers of Bavaria. As the Archbishop in this period usually also held the Bishopric of Münster, he was one of the most substantial princes of northwestern Germany.
After 1795, the Archbishopric's territories on the Left Bank of the Rhine were occupied by France, and were formally annexed in 1801. The Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803 secularized the rest of the Archbishopric, giving the Duchy of Westphalia to the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt. Cologne has, however, remained the seat of a Catholic Archbishop up to the present.
Archbishops of Cologne, 784-1803
- Hildebrand 784-819
- Hadbold 819-842
- Hildwin 842-849
- Günther 850-864
- Wilbert 870-889
- Hermann I 890-925
- Wigfried 925-953
- 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 1056-1075
- Hildholf 1076-1079
- Sigwin 1079-1089
- 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
- Rainald von Dassel 1159-1167
- Philipp von Heinsberg 1167-1191
- Bruno III von Berg 1191-1192
- Adolf I von Berg 1192-1216
- Bruno IV von Sayn 1205-1208 (in opposition)
- Dietrich I von Hengebach 1208-1215 (in opposition)
- Engelbert I von Berg 1216-1225
- Heinrich I von Mulnarken 1225-1237
- Konrad von Hochstaden 1238-1261
- Engelbert II von Falkenstein 1261-1274
- Sigfried II von 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
- Adolf II von der Marck 1363
- Engelbert III von der Marck 1364-1369
- Kuno von Falkenstein 1370-1371
- Friedrich III von Saarwerden 1372-1414
- Dietrich II von Mors 1414-1463
- Rupprecht of the Palatinate 1463-1480
- Hermann IV of Hesse 1480-1508
- Philipp II von Daun-Oberstein 1508-1515
- Hermann V von Wied 1515-1546
- Adolf III von Schauenburg 1546-1556
- Anton von Schauenburg 1556-1558
- Gebhard I von Mansfeld-Vorderort 1558-1562
- Friedrich IV von Wied 1562-1567
- Salentin von Isenburg-Grenzau 1567-1577
- Gebhard II von Waldburg 1577-1583
- Ernst of Bavaria 1583-1612
- Ferdinand of Bavaria 1612-1650
- Maximilian Heinrich of Bavaria 1650-1688
- Joseph Clemens of Bavaria 1688-1723
- Clemens August of Bavaria 1723-1761
- Maximilian Friedrich von Königsegg-Rothenfels 1761-1784
- Maximilian Franz of Austria 1784-1801
- Anton Viktor of Austria 1801-1803
Modern Archbishops of Cologne
- Ferdinand August von Spiegel 1824-1835
- Clemens August II Droste zu Fischering 1835-1845
- Johannes von Geissel 1845-1864
- Paul Melchers 1866-1885
- Philipp Krementz 1885-1899
- Anton Hubert Fischer 1902-1912
- Felix von Hartmann 1912-1919
- Karl Joseph Schulte 1920-1941
- Joseph Frings 1942-1969
- Joseph Höffner 1969-1987
- Joachim Meisner 1988-present
