 He was an adherent of the group of patricians led by his relatives, the "Overstolzen", and he opposed bitterly both the party of the "Weisen", the despised guilds, and also the archbishops of Cologne, who, as lords of the city, were the natural enemies of the development of Cologne into a free imperial city.Nevertheless, the bishops and still more the see are always treated with respect.It cannot be said that Hagen forged facts, but he modified them, and his judgment is coloured to a high degree by party spirit.