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Osnabrück was founded in 780 by Charlemagne, king of the Franks, although the date is not entirely certain. Some time before 803, the city became a bishopric. This date is also uncertain, but it makes Osnabrück the oldest bishopric in Saxony. In 889Events End of Strathclyde as a fully independent kingdom. Yasovarman I succeeds Indravarman II as ruler of the Khmer empire. Vladimir succeeds Boris I Michael as king of Bulgaria. Donald II succeeds Eochaid I as king of Scotland. Prince Svatopluk I of the it was given merchant, customs, and coinage privileges by King Arnulf of CarinthiaArnulf of Carinthia ( German Arnulf von Karnten Slovenian Arnulf KoroSki ( 850 December 8 899) was one of the last ruling members of the Carolingian house in the Eastern part of the Frankish Kingdom, which had been split in the Treaty of Verdun in 843.. It is first mentioned as a "city" in records in 1147Events King Afonso I of Portugal and the Crusaders capture Lisbon from Muslims First written mention of Moscow. Births Minamoto no Yoritomo, founder and first shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate. Deaths Robert of Gloucester, most important supporter of Matil. Shortly afterwards, in 1157Events Births 8 September Richard I of England Deaths August 21 Alfonso VII, king of Castile (b. 1104/ 5) Heads of states England Henry II Curt Mantle, King of England (reigned 1154 1189). France Louis VII, King of France (reigned 1137 1180)., Emperor Frederick BarbarossaFrederick I Hohenstaufen ( 1122 June 10 1190), also known as Frederick Barbarossa ("Frederick Redbeard") was elected king of Germany on March 4, 1152 and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor on June 18 1155. He was also Duke of Swabia (1147-1152, as Frederick I granted the city fortification privileges (Befestigungsrecht). Most of the towers that were part of the medieval fortification are still visible in the city. Osnabrück became a member of the Hanseatic LeagueThe foundations of the Hanseatic League an alliance of trading cities that for a time in the later Middle Ages and the Early Modern period maintained a trade monopoly over most of Northern Europe and the Baltic, can be seen as early as the 12th century. in the 12th century11th century 12th century 13th century other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. Events Song dynasty loses power over Northern China The Kamakura Shogunate deprives the, as well as a member of the Westphalian Federation of Cities .
Still being a bishopric today, the city has a fairly sized cathedralA Cathedral is a Christian church that serves as the central church of a bishopric. As cathedrals are often particularly impressive edifices, the term is sometimes also used loosely as a designation for any large important church. The term is not official in late romanesque style. While nothing is left of the original cathedral from the city's foundation, excavations have traced the oldest parts of today's building to the 10th century. Most of it stems from the 12th and 13th centuries though, with the choir being a later gothic addition. Quite curiously, the southwestern tower that was also added later in gothic style consumes four times the ground space of the older nothwestern one. The plan of reerecting the second tower also was never executed, making the two towers look very much out of proportion (see the external links below).
Since the citizens elected to follow the course of the Protestant reformation, this led to an ongoing conflict with the Catholic bishop that was not resolved until the 17th century. Probably the most significant event in the city's history was then the negotiations from 1643 to 1648 that led to the Peace of Westphalia that ended the Thirty Years' War. Since the Catholic and the Protestant delegations refused to be negotiate in person, the Catholics were seated in Münster, while the Protestants resided in Osnabrück. The Friedenssaal where the negotiations took place can be seen in the city's impressive Town Hall building from 1517. For the city, the Westphalian Peace led to the unique regulation that it would be governed in alternation by a Catholic and a Protestant bishop. Still today, the population of the city is vaguely half-half between the two confessions.
In the course of secularization that preceded the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the bishopric of Osnabrück was appropriated into the Kingdom of Hanover in 1803. This was confirmed by the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Not until 1858 was the diocese reerected as a church entity, while the city continued to belong to Hanover and thus also became part of Prussia with the annexation of Hanover in 1866.
Osnabrück suffered very much from the bombings at the end of World War II, but selected parts of the historic buildings were reerected. Today's Altstadt thus may not be entirely original, but still delivers the impression of a medieval city.
Osnabrück remains an important British Army garrison as part of British Forces Germany (BFG).