The archbishop's burgrave in the city, one of the two highest lay officers of the see in Cologne with the hereditary advocate.
Archbishop Philip of Heinsberg recorded the burgrave's and advocate's powers in May 1169 after a dispute between them. The office is held by the Arenberg family until Johann of Arenberg sells it to the archbishop in 1279.
Who he is
- Name
- Not pinned: Henry II of Arenberg (attested 1166/67-1197) or his son Eberhard (attested 1200-1218, husband of Aleidis of Molsberg, heiress of Freusburg)
- Title
- Burgrave of Cologne
- Family
- The lords of Arenberg (Arberg), free lords of the Ahr Eifel, castle of Aremberg; a second centre on the Sieg (Kirburg, Wissen, Schönstein) comes with Eberhard's marriage.
- Confidence
- medium
de.wikipedia Haus Arenberg; Kölner Erbvogtei
Overlord
The archbishop of Cologne
What it holds
- The burgraviate of Cologne: a share in the archbishop's high court and the defence of the city
- Family lordship of Aremberg in the Ahr Eifel (outside the city; drawn as an anchor)
How it was acquired
Family office since the twelfth century.
Allies and rivals
Shares and disputes jurisdiction with the advocate (Heppendorf).
How things stand that morning
The office is in Arenberg hands; which father or son holds it on 1 January 1200 is not pinned. Follows the archbishop (welf).
Wealth
Court fees and fiefs. No figures.
Military
Castle of Aremberg.
Places of note
- Aremberg castle: Family seat in the Ahr Eifel
Where the sources disagree
- The assignment calls the family 'Arberg'; de.wikipedia files them as the house of Arenberg (Henry II is styled 'de Arberg').
Evidence: Office holders dated by attestations either side of 1200.
On the map: An office in the city; no ground drawn.
Primary sources for Cologne
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Annals of Reiner of Saint James, Liège, Reiner of Liège (1197 to 1230, kept year by year). Contemporary annals kept inside Liège. Read online
- Chronicle of Burchard of Ursberg, Burchard of Ursberg (about 1229 to 1230, reworked by Conrad of Lichtenau). Written a generation later by a fierce partisan of the Staufen and a critic of Innocent III. Read online
- Chronicle of Otto of St Blasien, Otto of St Blasien (about 1209 to 1210). A Swabian continuation of Otto of Freising written from the Staufen side. Read online
- Chronicle of the Slavs, by Arnold of Lübeck, Arnold of Lübeck (about 1209 to 1210). Arnold continues Helmold and writes from Lübeck, close to Danish, Welf and Baltic affairs. Read online
- Royal Chronicle of Cologne (in stages from about 1175 to about 1250; the section on 1198 to 1220 written soon after the events). The fullest German narrative of the throne war from the Welf and Cologne side. Read online
- Regesta Imperii V: calendar of the acts of Philip, Otto IV and Frederick II, 1198 to 1272 (calendar of documents of 1198 to 1272, published 1881 to 1901). A dated calendar of every known act of King Philip and King Otto IV, with the acts of popes and princes that bear on the Empire. Read online
- Register of Innocent III on the affair of the Roman Empire, Innocent III and the papal chancery (1198 to 1209, compiled as a separate register at the curia). The pope's own file on the German throne war: letters to and from Philip, Otto, the German princes and bishops, and the famous Deliberatio of late 1200 or early 1201 in which Innocent weighs the claims of Frederick, Philip and Otto before deciding for Otto. Read online
- The Registers of Pope Innocent III for 1199 to 1201, Innocent III and the papal chancery (22 February 1199 to 21 February 1201). The pope's outgoing letters for the year, in his chancery's own copy, touching nearly every realm in the atlas. Read online
2 more in the sources library for The Rhineland, the Low Countries and the Swiss Lands.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.