- Archbishopric of Cologne, also known as Electoral Cologne (German: Kurköln) as its bishop could elect a new emperor.
- Free Imperial City of Cologne (German: Freie Reichstadt Köln)
Flag of the Archbishopric of Cologne
Coat of arms of the City of Cologne, depicting the imperial eagle.
History
The city of Cologne was founded in Roman times and was named Colonia Aggripina. It was situated on the Rhine river which formed the border between the Roman Empire and Germanic lands. Already in Roman times Cologne was an important center of Christianity, with its first cathedral built in the 4th century.
During the years of Charlemagne, his Frankish Empire Cologne was considered a sacred city (Sancta Colonia), equal to Jerusalem and Rome. The Archbishopric of Cologne was established in the 12th century but the city itself revolted in 1288 and became an Imperial Free City in 1475. The archbishopric itself moved its capital eventually to Bonn, which in modern history was the (provisional) capital of West Germany during the Cold War.
Location of the Archbishopric of Cologne sandwiched by the Duchy of Jülich-Berg in green. The Duchy of Westlphalia to the east was a large exclave of the archbishopric.
Cologne's importance faded in the 16th and 17th century. Both the city and surrounding archbishopric were conquered by France in 1794 and annexed in 1801. After Napoleon's defeat the area was annexed by Prussia.
Currency
Cologne plays a significant role in German monetary history, as it was home to the unit of weight named Cologne Mark (approx. 234g) that was used as the basis of German coin weights until 1857.
Cologne minted coins starting from the Frankish Empire in the 9th century. Charlemagne defined that the weight of a Penny (Pfennig or Denar) was 1/240 of a Pound, and that a Schilling was 12 Pennies. In Cologne this was altered to 1 Mark = 12 Schillinge = 144 Pfennige. In those days Pound, Mark or Schilling were only units of account. Coins other than Pfennig were the Obole (half) and Quadrans (quarter).
In the 12th century the Kölner Pfennige were known well outside the direct region for its silver content. But over the centuries the Pfennig coins were debased and new improved ones entered circulation at higher values.
In the 14th century the Gulden (Goldgulden, derived from the Fiorino d'Oro from Florence) became the unit of account. It was worth 20 Albus (Weisspfennig, or equal to Groschen). The Albus was equal to 1/6 of a Mark, 2 Schillinge, 8 New Pfennige, 12 Heller or 24 Old Pfennige. Cologne became part of the Rhenish Monetary union in 1346, which unified coinages across the Lower and Upper Rhine regions in Germany.
As the price of gold increased relative to silver, the Goldgulden was adjusted to 21 Albus in 1409 and 24 Albus in 1432. From now on the Gulden remained the unit of account at 24 Albus, even though the actual Goldgulden coin continued to rise in value versus the Albus.
In 1516 Cologne minted its first Guldiner, a heavy silver coin (1/8 of a Cologne Mark or 29.2g) equal to the Goldgulden which contained approximately 2.5 grams of gold. By 1549 the Goldgulden reached a value of 51 Albus. Other silver coins included the Blanke (2 Albus) and the Blaffert (4 Albus).
Thaler era (1547-1793)
Cologne minted its first Thaler, which was derived from the Guldiner, in 1547. Initially it was worth 48 Albus (2 Gulden unit of account) but reached a value of 78 Albus in 1626. In the city of Cologne it remained at 78, but in the archbishopric the Thaler was equal to 80 Albus and later also subdivided in 60 Stüber, influenced by the coinage of the neighbouring Duchy of Jülich-Berg.
As Cologne was a relatively poor area, its Thaler was debased more heavily than elsewhere in Germany. By 1700, when in most of Germany there were 12 Thaler in a Cologne Mark (12 Thaler standard), in the city of Cologne this was 18 and in Electoral Cologne and Jülich-Berg 16. The monetary situation in the Lower Rhine region was truly confusing.
In 1754 Electoral Cologne, but not the city, adopted the Conventionsthaler which was set at 1/10 of a Cologne Mark while retaining its own Thaler at 1/16. This meant that a Conventionsthaler was worth 96 Stüber or 120 Albus. The city of Cologne minted its last coins, 8 Heller in copper, in 1793. After Napoleon the Prussian Thaler replaced all older coinages making monetary life probably a lot easier.
Bread pennies
Another coin story worth noting are the bread pennies (Brotpfennige) minted by the city of Cologne in the 18th century. These coins were tokens that allowed the poorest inhabitants to buy bread at lower subsidised prices.
Numista Catalogue
Archbishopric of Cologne
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/cologne_archbishopric-1.html
City of Cologne
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/cologne_city-1.html
Imperial Mint of Cologne (10th century)
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/cologne_imperial-1.html
Sources