As Germany was in the grip of a religious controversy, Cologne remained Catholic. Protestantism was spreading all across Germany, and Cologne was surrounded by this outbreak. During the protestant reformation Cologne remained Catholic, and moreover had much resistance towards the Protestants. It is too little to say that Cologne remained Catholic because the populous was devoutly Catholic. Catholicism is a product of the urban environment seen in Cologne (Scribner 217).

From the beginning Cologne’s government was strongly opposed to the Reformation. The government was too busy being concerned about its trade network falling apart, threat of the archbishop taking power, and other threats from outside. The city could not afford to have a conflict with the church; its situation was becoming too fragile (Scribner 225).

Cologne’s desire for conserving prosperity was shattered by the clearly chaotic times. Emperor Charles V took up arms against the protestant princes who opposed him in 1544, starting a war that would last until 1555 at the peace of Augsburg (Krieger 385). Five years later the cathedral stopped its construction. No sources can give an exact account of why the cathedral was stopped, but signs point to religious, economic, political, and social unrest.

Although Cologne remained Catholic, the Reformation affected it. Cologne’s government actively enforced the rules from the edict of worms, and even went so far as to burn Protestant writings in 1521 (Scribner 217). Cologne could not escape the chaos of the times. War plagued the country, and religion split the people.

The German mind-set at this time is no doubt one of chaotic mess. The cathedral, which is a symbol of the middle class’s road to prosperity and freedom, has come to a halt. The fact that the reformation never really changed Cologne’s religious standpoint is irrelevant because the elements of urbanization, which gave birth to the cathedral and Christianity were undoubtedly affected by the events of the times.

The Thirty Years War was the final step in this age of chaos. From 1618-48 the war turned Germany into one gigantic mess. Populations dwindled, the economy was in ruins, and it created a power vacuum in central Europe. This allowed the rise of two German nation-states, Prussia and Austria (Krieger 411).

The most important concept during this time period is the chaos. The elements that created the environment during the middle ages were torn apart, and a new path was created for Germany. Soon Napoleon would devastate Germany once more, but would allow for socioeconomic reforms that would rapidly modernize the country and finally unite Germany under one ruler.