En route to the status of a royal seat

Under the reign of electoral prince Hermann V of Wied the administration of electoral Cologne, the "Kanzley" (chancellery) was transferred to Bonn in 1525. Thus the city increasingly became the royal seat of electoral Cologne. However, this function was not finally transferred until the introduction of the "Rat- und Kanzley-Ordnung" in 1597 (Council and chancellery ordinance).

Prior to this the city experienced two reformation attempts, both failed: The first endeavours to introduce the Reformation were undertaken by Archbishop Hermann of Wied (1515-1547).

 He summoned the reformer Martin Bucer, a comrade-in-arms of Martin Luther in 1542, and Philipp Melanchthon in 1543. Together they drafted probably the most important Reformation paper to be published in Bonn “Einfältiges Bedenken” (simple reflection). When the reformation gained a foothold in Bonn the diocesan chapter, the city and university in Cologne opposed the archbishop under Hermann’s former adviser Johannes Gropper. In 1547 the opponents of the Reformation prevailed and Emperor Karl V had Hermann of Wied replaced by the new Archbishop Adolf of Schauenberg (1547-56).

The second attempt was made by Gebhard Truchsess of Walburg and resulted in military conflicts, the so-called “Truchsess” or “Cologne” war in 1583. Truchsess was defeated by the Cologne diocesan chapter. Following this electoral prince Ernst of Bavaria became the first member of the Wittelsbach dynasty to become electoral prince in Cologne. However, his coadjutor Ferdinand of Bavaria very soon assumed responsibility for the fate of Bonn, as the electoral prince paid little attention to the archbishopric. Ferdinand of Bavaria was also the one who declared Bonn to be an official royal seat of the archbishopric of Cologne.