#19 All Quiet on the Western Front – Roman Cologne in Late Antiquity – The History of Cologne

The short Frankish rule over the Roman colony of Cologne ended after only one year in 356. We want to look as far as possible from the sources to see how late antique Cologne developed at the end of the 4th century. Many are tempted to see the end of Roman rule in late antiquity, both in general and regionally, as a stringent downward spiral that was ultimately to culminate in the fall of Rome in 475. Surprisingly, the area around Cologne was supposed to remain comparatively quiet in the late 4th century.

The short Frankish rule over the Roman colony of Cologne ended after only one year in 356. We want to look as far as possible from the sources to see how late antique Cologne developed at the end of the 4th century. Many are tempted to see the end of Roman rule in late antiquity, both in general and regionally, as a stringent downward spiral that was ultimately to culminate in the fall of Rome in 475. Surprisingly, the area around Cologne was supposed to remain comparatively quiet in the late 4th century.

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The Praetorium of Cologne

The late antique church of St. Gereon

St. Gereon today

An empire devided

Roman Cologne expands to the east (into the Rhine)