In late August 1199 Philip of Swabia advanced to Zülpich and devastated the land up to Cologne; Otto garrisoned Aachen, pursued him and took some of his supply wagons, and a second approach on Cologne ended with Philip's withdrawal under pressure from the duke of Brabant (Düsseldorf study, from the Cologne royal chronicle).
The raid fell at harvest time on the open grain plain between the Eifel edge, the Erft and the Ville: Cologne manors (Lechenich, Brühl), the king's lands at Düren and the Jülich plain. Four months later, in the winter of 1199-1200, this is the ground that has lost its harvest and lies open to the next raid from the Eifel.
How things stand that morning
No truce on 1 January 1200 (Conrad of Mainz's truce is of April 1200); the plain is quiet for the winter but wasted.
Who raids here
Philip of Swabia's army (from the Moselle and the Eifel) against the lands of Cologne, Jülich and the Welf king's places.
Anchoring castles
Cologne (the city and its wall), Nideggen (Jülich), Aachen (garrisoned by Otto in 1199); Zülpich was Philip's staging point.
Last campaign
Late August 1199.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The raid is attested; its exact extent is not. The outline follows the route Zülpich to Cologne across the Erft plain.
On the map: Schematic: the raid's path is known in outline only.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.