#29 Hildebold and Charlemagne – a lifelong friendship – The History of Cologne

A fateful encounter at the end of the 8th century. A young priest named Hildebold is celebrating mass in a small village church just outside the city of Cologne. A huntsman enters the church and is immediately taken by the priest's modesty and piety. What Hildebold does not know, however. This man is not a hunter. He is Charlemagne. Why does the King of the Franks disguise himself as a hunter here in Cologne? You will find out in this episode.

A fateful encounter at the end of the 8th century. A young priest named Hildebold is celebrating mass in a small village church just outside the city of Cologne. A huntsman enters the church and is immediately taken by the priest’s modesty and piety. What Hildebold does not know, however. This man is not a hunter. He is Charlemagne. Why does the King of the Franks disguise himself as a hunter here in Cologne? You will find out in this episode.

Charlemagne and Kunibert of Cologne become best friends in the 780s. With the king’s help Hildebold gets appointed as the new bishop of Cologne. Together they reform the Frankish Empire. The so-called Carolingian Renaissance would reform the Frankish Empire and the whole of Western Europe forever.

#98 A Who’s Who of the Battle of Worringen 1288 – The History of Cologne

On 5 June 1288, the Battle of Worringen took place, serving as the violent climax to the Limburg War of Succession. This battle featured a "who's who" of the north-western Holy Roman Empire and transformed the Rhineland from a chaotic mosaic of dominions into a new political reality. Rather than a tale of good versus evil, the conflict was a raw struggle for land, power, and the right to dominate the region

1. #98 A Who’s Who of the Battle of Worringen 1288 34:02
2. #97 The Limburg War of Succession 26:33
3. #96 The Holy Roman Empire at the Time of the Battle of Worringen 29:04
4. #95 The 1275 Friendship Treaty: Siegfried von Westerburg and Cologne’s New Gothic City Seal 38:02
5. #94 The Expulsion of the Wise Men and the Aftermath of the Battle of Ulrepforte 35:29

Charlemagne (Charles the Great)

Krieler Dömchen (Kriel Cathedral)

Pfalz in Cologne