🌐 As part of our research project on multilevel governance in medieval and early modern commercial cities, we are expanding our website with a series of short vignettes on the legal histories of key trading hubs. In each of these introductions we explore the organisation of urban governance in relation to the economy of the city (including recommendations for further research).

✨ Now we turn the spotlight to Cologne, queen of the Rhineland! As prominent member of the Hanseatic League, the city’s wealth was largely driven by its thriving Rhine wine trade. 🍷 After claiming political independence from its archiepiscopal overlord in 1288, and especially when becoming a free imperial city in 1475, Cologne’s urban authorities possessed considerable agency. This makes it a fascinating case study of the intersections between (multilevel) governance, law, and economics.

👉 Check out the new page about Cologne!

Ester Zoomer MA

Author