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CHAPTER XIV THE HOHENSTAUFEN EMPERORS AND THE POPES I. THE GERMAN CITIES BEGIN TO TAKE A HAND IN POLITICS The German towns first become conspicuous in politi- cal affairs in the twelfth century. We find them par- ticipating in the struggles of the time, fighting their bishops or neighboring lords, or even the emperor him- self. They begin also to have their own annals, in which the local events are given a prominent place. No German town was more important than Cologne, with its great commerce and its influential archbishop. The following passages from The Greater Annals of Cologne, the first part of which was probably written in the form in which we have it about 1175, give a vivid picture of the pride of the burghers and their dubious relations with the emperor. Remembering his dislike for the people of Cologne, the emperor got together a great army of Alemannians and Bava- rians and of Saxons, under their duke Lothaire, with the purpose of reducing to shame and insignificance this most flourishing among the cities of France and Germany. He first attempted to take and destroy the fortified town of Deutz, so that by stationing a garrison at this point he could cut off the people of Cologne from receiving any- thing by water. As soon as the people of Cologne heard of this, they called together under their standard great numbers of their most valiant young men, crossed the 296