Cologne's Fateful Decision: Nazi Consolidation Of Power

Cologne, Germany, has a rich history dating back to the 1st century CE when it was founded as the Roman Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium in Ubii territory. Over the centuries, it has been occupied by various powers, including the Romans, the Franks, the French, and the British. In 1933, Cologne was in a state of flux, with the Nazi Party gaining support and local elections resulting in the dismissal of the incumbent mayor, Konrad Adenauer. The city would go on to suffer heavily during World War II, with its Jewish population being targeted for deportation and murder, and the city itself enduring heavy bombing that destroyed much of its historic centre.

Cologne was the capital of the Roman province of Germania Inferior and the headquarters of the military in the region

Cologne was founded in the 1st century CE as the Roman Colonia Agrippina. In 50 CE, the Romans founded Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (Cologne) on the river Rhine, and the city became the provincial capital of Germania Inferior in 85 CE.

Cologne was the capital of the Roman province of Germania Inferior and the headquarters of the Roman military in the region until it was occupied by the Franks in 462 CE. The city was also known as Augusta Ubiorum.

The Romans founded the city on the river Rhine, which was used as a water transport route. Cologne was located at the intersection of five Roman trunk roads, and its central location was key to its growth. The Romans built the Eifel Aqueduct, one of the longest aqueducts of the Roman Empire, which delivered 20,000 cubic metres of water to the city daily.

The Romans remained in the city until the 5th century CE when the city was occupied by the Franks. During the Middle Ages, Cologne flourished as it was located on one of the most important trade routes between eastern and western Europe.

Cologne was an important city in Roman times

Cologne, or Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium as it was known then, was founded on the west bank of the Rhine River by the Romans around 39 BC. It was one of the oldest cities in Germany and became the capital of the Roman province of Germania Inferior and the headquarters of the Roman military in the region.

The city was home to a significant Roman military presence, with Emperor Constantine ordering the construction of a fort on the right bank of the Rhine. The city was surrounded by walls, and several Roman remnants can still be found in the city today, including sections of the wall and towers.

Cologne was an influential merchant city during the early Middle Ages due to its location on the Rhine. It was also the seat of an influential archbishop, further adding to its importance. The city continued to prosper and was consistently among the 30 largest cities in Western Europe during the Middle Ages and early modern period.

Cologne's importance continued well into the second half of the 16th century when trade routes shifted from the Rhine to sea routes. However, the city maintained its population of around 40,000 until the 18th century, indicating its enduring significance.

Cologne was an important trade route between east and west Europe

Cologne was a member of the Hanseatic League, a business alliance of trading cities that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe. The city's hinterland in Germany gave it an advantage over other Hanseatic cities, and it became the largest city in Germany and the region. The intersection of these trade routes was the basis of Cologne's growth.

Cologne's central location on the Rhine placed it at the heart of a tightly linked trading network that included the Hanseatic towns of the Baltic Sea, London and Bruges in the west, and trading places such as Bordeaux and Leipzig in the south, and Milan and Venice. The city's economic structures in the medieval and early modern periods were based on its status as a major harbour and transport hub on the Rhine.

Cologne was also a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire, and one of the major members of the trade union Hanseatic League. It was one of the largest European cities in medieval and renaissance times.

Cologne was a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire

The status of free imperial city was a result of a long process of Cologne gaining independence from its ecclesiastical lord, the Archbishop of Cologne. In the 15th century, Cologne was able to shake off archiepiscopal rule, and as a Free Imperial City, it enabled the burgher ruling class to achieve great splendour.

However, Cologne's former ecclesiastical lord continued to claim the right to exercise some residual feudal privileges over the city, a claim that gave rise to constant litigation almost until the end of the Empire.

As a free imperial city, Cologne was represented in the Imperial Diet and had the right (and obligation) to contribute to the defence of the Empire and maintain its own military force. These troops, known as the Rote Funken (red sparks), fought in the wars of the 17th and 18th centuries, including the wars against revolutionary France, in which they were almost completely wiped out.

The Free Imperial City of Cologne must not be confused with the Electorate of Cologne, which was a separate state within the Holy Roman Empire. The archbishops of Cologne, as members of an influential and powerful family, repeatedly challenged and threatened the free status of Cologne during the 17th and 18th centuries, resulting in complicated affairs that were often handled by diplomatic means.

Cologne was a member of the Hanseatic League

Cologne was a leading member of the Hanseatic League, a business alliance of trading cities and their guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe. The League flourished from the 1200s to 1500, and continued with lesser importance thereafter.

Cologne's central location on the Rhine river placed it at the intersection of the major trade routes between east and west, and was the basis of Cologne's growth. The city's hinterland in Germany gave it an added advantage over the other Hanseatic cities, and it became the largest city in Germany and the region.

Cologne was a member of the League in 1475, when Frederick III confirmed the city's imperial immediacy. Cologne was so influential in regional commerce that its systems of weights and measurements (e.g. the Cologne mark) were used throughout Europe. The city's merchants dominated trade in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, and the League gave them special privileges in member cities.

Cologne's economic structures in the medieval and early modern periods were characterised by its status as a major harbour and transport hub on the Rhine. Craftsmanship was organised by self-administering guilds, some of which were exclusive to women.

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