Destruction of the Oberstift The destruction of the " Oberstift " , which included Linz , Ahrweiler , and other small towns and villages , occurred in the opening months of the Cologne War , from Christmas Day , 1582 until the end of March , 1583 . Over these few weeks , armies of the competing archbishops of Cologne burned the southern - most villages , cloisters , and small towns . It the Cologne War ( 1583 – 1589 ) two men competed for control of the Electorate of Cologne and sought to control one of the wealthiest Electorates in the Holy Roman Empire . Their contest lasted until 1589 , when Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg renounced his claim and moved to Strassbourg ; Ernst of Bavaria became uncontested Prince elector of Cologne , the first Wittelsbach to hold the position ; his family maintained their hold on it until 1761 . Under his direction , Jesuits introduced the Counter - Reformation to the north - western German states and under the leadership of his successors , these territories remained a Catholic stronghold until the late eighteenth century . Context . In this phase of the war , it was a localized feud between supporters of Gebhard , and supporters of the Catholic core of the Cathedral chapter . In the initial outburst after Gebhard ' s conversion , several of the key men of the Electorate had taken sides . Salentin von Isenburg and his son in law , Count Arenberg , and the Duke Frederick of Saxe - Lauenburg stood against the supporters of Gebhard Truchsess . Gebhard had three primary supporters : his brother , Karl , Truchsess von Waldburg ( 1548 – 1593 ) , who had married Eleonore , Countess of Hohenzollern ( 1551 – after 1598 ) ; his longtime ally and supporter Count Adolph Neuenar and Herman Neuenar , a member of the Cathedral chapter , and Neuenar ' s brother - in - law , Count Bentheim . Campaign for the Upper Electorate . Karl Truchsess , the Elector ’ s brother , burned the Dietkirchen cloister to the ground . Initially , in the Oberstift , Salentin von Isenburg took the cities of Linz ( Linz am Rhein ) and Ahrweiler and the district of Altenrath for the Catholic faction . The count Werner von of Reifferscheid , who was the hereditary marshal of the Archdiocese , took command of the Catholic faction ’ s troops . He occupied Bonn , and the castle at Alfter . All the villages and cloisters that lay there , he plundered and set to the torch . Reifferscheid overran Bonn and then took the village of Mehlem , from there he went to a powder supply that Karl Truchsess had established in the vicinity of the city , and took it , and then burned the faciiltiy . In the night , overran Bonn by the village of Mehlem . After that , in the middle of the night , he overcame the sentries , and overcame the enemy in deep sleep . There passed a dreadful carnage . On both sides were the deaths enough . All of the villages by the Rhine were burned . There were dreadful crackling and glow in the deep night . Everything was destroyed , what the one side didn ’ t burn , the other side did . The victor moved toward Bonn and took it in Triumph . Siege of Poppelsdorf . In November 1583 , Ernst ' s brother laid siege to the Elector ' s palace at Poppelsdorf . A gothic water fortress had been built in 1341 and was expanded the following year into a double - fortress . Despite its relatively low walls , it held out for two weeks , and Ernst ' s troops breached the gates on 18 November . Campaign for the Lower Electorate . Rheinberg taken by count Neuenar . He had English and Scottish soldiers that he had recruited in the Netherlands . The church was plundered and the priests abused and mishandled . Consequences . At this point , on 22 March , in Rome , Pope Gregory XIII excommunicated Gebhard . He declared him alienated from all his possessions , funds , and everything to which he was entitled , including services of people who had promised loyalty to him . During this early part of the war , the two factions became more clearly defined and from either side , the lines became clearer : if you are not for us , you are against us . It was not possible to remain neutral .