COLOGNE CIVITAS

Cologne has been selected by Roberto Amati in relation to the real history of european integration, then enlisted in the CITY OR CIVITAS category, accompanied by own fact SHEET useful to the comprehension, completed of historical MAPS AND IMAGES or with a direct linking to the related Blog contents dedicated to the entire history of european integration and the future of Europe.

Cologne is one of the most ancient cities of the history of European integration, signed in great part by Christianity. The Civitas Cologne was founded in 50 A.D. by Romans on a strategic point at the Rhin river on the northern Limes of the Roman Empire and called Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium in honour to the nepew of Augustus, daughter of Germanicus (the conqueror of Western Germany), wife of the emperor Claudius and mother of the emperor Nero: in origin Cologne was a Castra of the Roman Respublica populated by local Germans tribes and Romans veterans of the Legio I Germanica and of the Legio XX Valeria Victrix there stationed. In 85 A.D. became the capital of the Germania inferior province and one of the most important trade and stategic civitas of the empire, connected throught many roman ways: the Flavia Way starting in Xanten and passing through the civitas of Trier, Metz, Chalon-sur-Saône, Lyon, Vienne and Arles; Cologne was also the starting (or arrival) point of the Germanica way, running all along the Rhin river and passing through the civitas of Mainz and Strasbourg up to Susa, and of the Aquitania way passing through the civitas of Reims, Paris and Bordeaux up to Narbonne.

With the reform of Constantine I (see Christian Empire), Cologne became part of the imperial Gallia Diocesi and was the starting point of the emperor militar escalation to the power: afterthat, Cologne had imperial governors resided in the city and was elevated to bishopric seat in 313 A.D.. There is evidence of the Jewish presence in Cologne since the distruction of the Jerusalem Temple, so that in 321 A.D. Constantine I approved the settlement of their community among all the free Roman citizens of the civitas. Cologne remained the principal passing point on the Rhin thanks to its Roman bridge and the strategic strong base against the Barbarian invasions until 462 A.D., when the city was occupied by the Ripuarian Franks tribe.

Within the Franks empire, Cologne was included in the Austrasia regna and recovered to Christianity in the VIII century A.D. by the Irish monks (led by Saint Patrick) who built there a big monastir, basis for the evangelization of Saxons and Magyars: for that reason, with the renovatio imperii of Charlemagne Cologne became one of the biggest and wide Christian archbishopric, attribuited of temporal powers and included in the Imperial Diet for centuries. With the 843 AD Treaty of Verdun, Cologne fell into the dominion of Lotharingia regna (Lower Lorraine), ruled by the emperor's families for more than a century until 953 A.D., when the emperor Otto I assigned the Archbishops of Cologne noteworthy with the prerogatives of secular princes power endured until XX century A.D.!

Cologne was granted the status of a "Free Imperial City" in 1288 A.D. and independent of the Prince-Bishop of Cologne. The city became an important centre of medieval pilgrimage, cause of the relics of the "Three Wise Men" conserved into the Cologne cathedral since 1164 A.D., and a central point of intersection of the major trading routes along Europe connecting the markets to the principal northern ports to Venice. That evolution brought Cologne to become a member of the Hanseatic League and a medieval and early modern major harbour and transport hub on the Rhin. Within the Reich Empire, Cologne was confirmed "free imperial city" with a seat in the Imperial Diet and maintained its own military force, under the rule of the Wittelsbach dinasty and the Electorate of Cologne. Always on the Catholic side during the Protest crisis, had its priviliges confirmed with the Augusta Peace treaty and continued growing up all along the modern era.

When the Holy Roman Empire (Reich) was dissolved in 1806 A.D. by Napoleon I, the German states were reunited into the Rhin Confederation and Cologne was designated as one of its Fortresses against French borders and annexed to the Kingdom of Prussia, following its destiny and the Germany history until today. Cologne became a rich industrial city in modern era and the seat of an important University founded in 1388 A.D. and remained a principal catholic centre, nowadays is a big city in the west of Germany, part of the North Rhine-Westphalia lander, whose patron is Saint Severine the first bishop of the civitas.

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