Editing Cologne (section)

===Early modern history===
[[File:Panorama Köln.jpg|thumb|Panorama of Cologne in 1531]]
[[File:Dankaerts-Historis-9364.tif|thumb|Attack on [[Deutz, Cologne|Deutz]] by the [[Swedish intervention in the Thirty Years' War|Swedish army]] during the [[Thirty Years' War]] in 1632]]
[[File:Rekonstruktion der Stadt Köln im 17. Jahrhundert.webm|thumb|Reconstruction of Cologne in the 17th century (German, English subtitles available)]]
The economic structures of medieval and early modern Cologne were characterised by the city's status as a major harbour and transport hub on the Rhine. Craftsmanship was organised by self-administering guilds, some of which were exclusive to women.

As a [[free imperial city]], Cologne was a self-ruling state within the [[Holy Roman Empire]], an [[imperial estate]] with seat and vote at the [[Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)|Imperial Diet]], and as such had the right (and obligation) to contribute to the defense of the Empire and maintain its own military force. As they wore a red uniform, these troops were known as the ''Rote Funken'' (red sparks). These soldiers were part of the Army of the Holy Roman Empire ("Reichskontingent"). They fought in the wars of the 17th and 18th century, including the wars against revolutionary France in which the small force was almost completely wiped out in combat. The tradition of these troops is preserved as a military persiflage by Cologne's most outstanding carnival society, the ''Rote Funken''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rote-funken.de/ |title=Rote Funken – Kölsche Funke rut-wieß vun 1823 e.V. – Rote Funken Koeln |publisher=Rote-funken.de |access-date=5 May 2009 |archive-date=12 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412051505/http://www.rote-funken.de/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Free Imperial City of Cologne must not be confused with the [[Electorate of Cologne]], which was a state of its own within the Holy Roman Empire. Since the second half of the 16th century the majority of archbishops were drawn from the Bavarian [[House of Wittelsbach|Wittelsbach dynasty]]. Due to the free status of Cologne, the archbishops were usually not allowed to enter the city. Thus they took up residence in [[Bonn]] and later in [[Brühl, North Rhine-Westphalia|Brühl]] on the Rhine. As members of an influential and powerful family, and supported by their outstanding status as [[Prince-elector|electors]], the archbishops of Cologne repeatedly challenged and threatened the free status of Cologne during the 17th and 18th centuries, resulting in complicated affairs, which were handled by diplomatic means and propaganda as well as by the supreme courts of the Holy Roman Empire.