Richerzeche

Richerzeche was founded in the 12th Century in the Free Imperial City of Cologne as a secular brotherhood or a corporation of all the wealthy patricians, which gradually absorbed in their hands the direction of the city's government.{{cite journal |last1=Groten |first1=Manfred |title=Die Kölner Richerzeche im 12. Jahrhundert |journal=Rheinische Vierteljahrsblätter |date=1984 |volume=48 |pages=34-85 |url=https://www.mgh-bibliothek.de/dokumente/a/a047956.pdf |access-date=11 December 2024 |language=German}} They lost their power in the middle of the 14th century.