How were Protestants treated in Cologne before the French occupation of 1794?

In the period leading up to the French occupation in 1794, Cologne maintained a strictly Roman Catholic identity. During this time, public Protestant services were officially banned within the city.1

This exclusionary religious environment was a long-standing characteristic of the city, which remained predominantly Catholic throughout the era. The restriction on Protestant worship was part of a broader pattern of religious intolerance that also affected other groups; for instance, the Jewish community had been expelled in 1424, and until the French occupation in 1794, Jews were forbidden from remaining in the city overnight.1