#historycycle #history #cologne #koeln
Why Cologne
As I’m living here, and as Cologne provides 2000 years of history, this is as good a place as any to look at as an extended retirement project.
Cologne is situated directly on the Rhine and has had harbour infrastructure since Roman times. Also Cologne lies at the point where the Lower Rhine transitions into the Middle Rhine which need quite different vessels to use.
Below Cologne the Aak(e) was the freight ship adapted to the Lower Rhine and for coastal shipping.
The Oberländer (Mainzer Lade) was a flat bottomed ship that could also drive up the shore. These ships traded up the Rhine to Mainz and beyond.
But the city also was at the crossing of various land based trade routes, for example the Via Regia connecting the Atlantic and the Cracow.
What trade
In any village, town or city trading will occur. If the city lies on a trading route, traders will pass. If it lays at a cross road, many traders will pass. If, like Cologne, it lies at the heart of many roads and a major river, where also for navigational reasons two different ship types are used for travel up stream versus down stream, you have opportunities
Also Cologne was an important administrative center. First as the capital of the Roman province of Lower Germany, as a bishops, later archbishops seat and the Center of a church province that included the sees of Cambrai, Lüttich, Minden, Münster, Osnabrück and Utrecht.
The Archbishop of Cologne also, at one time or another, as the Duke of Lothringen, the Chancellor of the HRE for Italy, an Elector of the HRE, the so called Erzstift which included large landholdings including much of Westphalia.
For a long time they were also the undisputed, later disputed, later titular, head of the city itself (again a slight simplification of several hundred years of development.
In any case these factors led to Cologne being one of the largest trading cities north of the Alps.
What is a Sarwoerter
Sar(w) is an old German word relating to or meaning armour. A Woerter, Worter or Woerter is someone who makes, in this case armour.
Specifically the Sarwoerters started out making mail and then, later, also plate armour.
The trade is documented in Cologne from 1396 onwards. In that year various guilds but also brotherhoods of merchants and similar were grouped into 24 Gaffeln, who (1) were who elected the city councillors (much simplification here) and (2) were responsible for the defence of a section of the city walls and (3) were part feasting and part mutual aid societies (much simplification here).
What this tells us, the trade needs to be (much) older, because in a “revolutionary” setting you don’t become the eponym of one of the new Gaffeln who will share power in the city, if you are small and new.
How long do they go back?
Who knows?
The oldest known Schreinsbuch entry (medieval land registry) has an Ezelin Loricator as a witness in 1150. His “colleague” Arnoldus receives half a house as dowry when he marries Agnes, the daughter of Gerardus some time before 1200.
In the late 13th century we find Adam, and (another?) Adam plus wives Gertrude and Reynerus with wives Elisabeth.
This shows at least 2 centuries before the Gaffel formation.
Known Sarwoerter
- Ezelin loricator (n. 1150)
- Arnoldus loricator (12. Jh.)
- Heinrich Gladiator (1200/1239)
- Adam loricator (1273–1283)
- mag. Reynerus (Reynardus) loricator (1291–1311)
- Gerardus Helmslegere (1298)
- Ec(k)bert Armificus (1334)
- Rutg. Sarwortere (1305)
- Reynorus Sarwortere (1311)
- Conr. Sarwortere (1335)
- Bertram Armificus (1343)
- Bertrami sarworter (magister, † v. 1358)
- Thilmannus sarworter (1358, Sohn des Bertrami)
- Heinrich von Aulstorp (1428, Harnischmacher)
- Heinrich van Ailstorp (Harnischmacher)
- Heinrich van Alfter, gen. Kruch (Harnischmacher, 1466)
- Johann van Droilshagen (Lehrling bei Harnischmacher Heinrich van Alfter, 1466)
- Simon van Wipperfürde (Harnischmacher, Kölner Bürger; seine Tochter Giertgin (*ca. 1385))
- Toenis van Mölheim (Harnischmacher, 1489, 1494)
- Der alde Neve (Sarwörter, 1473)
- Yelle (Sarwörter, 1473)
- Meister Mais (deutscher Harnischmacher, aufgenommen 1473)
- Peter van Alfter (Harnischmacher, 1473)
- Clais v. Ense
- Jan Kemper
- Jacob v. Wedich
- Evert v. Wedich
- Goedert Gryn der junge
- Heinrich v. Bercheym
- Johan Koelgijn
- Hans v. Berckervelde (Schwager eines Sarwörters)
- Joh. Wilh. Lohkamp (letzter Bannerherr)
- Thijs / Matthias Sarwoerter (Aachen)
- Johan Zylman (1397)
- Herman aen deym Maltzbuchil (1397)
- Joris Paffehase (1397)
- Henkyn swertveyger (1397)
- Heinrich Swertveger (1397)
- Konrad Swertveger (1397)
- Gierhart Franck (Schwertfeger, 1483)
- Berthold Harnischmacher (16. Jh., Tumultführer)
- Caspar Harnischmacher (16. Jh.)
- Damian der Harnischmacher (16. Jh.)
- Johann von Attendorn (Harnischmacher, Gaffelbote, 16. Jh.)
- Johann von Wermerskirchen (Harnischmacher, 16. Jh.)
- Christ. von Holte (Sarwörter-Amt, 15. Jh.)
- Heinr. von Rollenberg (Sarwörter-Amt, 15. Jh.)
- Glas Reyderade (Sarwörter-Amt)
- Mart. Reve (Sarwörter-Amt, 15. Jh.)
- Walter de Beche / de Besche (1665–1716): Hauptmann der Harnischmacher-Zunft, Ratsherr 1709–1715 für das Sarwörteramt
- Sebastian Honvalle (* 1675): Barbierer bei der Harnischmacher-Zunft
- Johann Josef Eichen (1748–1809): Bannerherr der Sarwörter, Kaufmann, Ratszugehörigkeit 1786–1797
- Benedikt Josef Wolter de Beche (1751–1831): Bannerherr der Sarwörter, Schreinsherr bei St. Columba, Laurenz und Martin, Ratszugehörigkeit 1786–1796
But what about the quest?
The quest was to identify places in or around Cologne, having to do with a traiding good, go there by cycle and take photos.
Places got identified, but, due to progress and of course the second world war, there are no historic buildings left to photograph. Even the part of the city walls that the Sarwoerter were responsible for, no longer stands.
I’ll do the trips anyway while I ponder a new research topic and collect armour collection museums to visit.
