#53 When the church bells in Cologne were silenced: The Interdict of 1119

Heinrich V.

Contemporary gospel book of St. Emmeram in Regensburg from 1105.

Young Henry V. (1086-1125) vs. Father Henry IV. (1050-1106) on the right.


Archbishop Frederick I. of Schwarzenburg

Sadly, I haven’t found an image of him that I could use. And they didn’t take photographs back then. 😉


Wolkenburg castle & Rolandsburg castle


The remains of Wolkenburg Castle. As most the once 25,000 (!) medieval castles in Germany, Wolkenburg Castle does no longer exist. Even the mountain where once this castle on the Rhine river once stood, does not exist anymore, it crumbled because of a close quarry.


Both castles, that can’t be seen in this photo anymore since they are gone, secured the archbishop’s power here at the Rhine, south of Bonn.


And that is what remains at all from the Rolandsburg castle. Just a single arch. But a nice romantic view for hikers.




Lower Lorraine Region

In the upper left corner you can see the region of Lower Lorraine with Cologne in it. North of that lies Holland and Friesland.


Cologne & Deutz

This map shows Cologne in 1600 but except with the large city wall it is pretty much similar to the situation of 1114. The much larger and fortified city of Cologne is a place that no army of that time seem to be able to conquer. Therefore Henry V attacks the much smaller Deutz on the other side of the Rhine river. Seen here in the upper part of the picture.

Cologne Church Province

The Cologne (KÖLN) Church Province and its suffragan bishoprics.

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