Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer was born on 5 January in Cologne, Rhenish Prussia, as the third of five children. His father, Johann Konrad Adenauer, and mother, Helene, influenced his early life, particularly during the Kulturkampf, which fostered his aversion to Prussianism. Adenauer pursued law and politics at various universities, graduating in , and worked as a lawyer in Cologne.