Johann IV of Osnabrück

Johann IV of Osnabrück (18 April 1529 – 5 April 1574) was a German nobleman and prince-bishop. From his father

Hoya therefore initially decided to pursue a career in the imperial judiciary. In 1553, Emperor Charles V appointed him as an assessor to the Imperial Chamber Court.

Bishop

In Osnabrück he received a position as a

His attitude towards Protestantism was seen as too soft. In fact, in military disputes he tended to support the Protestant side. A commission of several cardinals and the Jesuit Peter Canisius visited Hoya in 1565 to assure himself of his Catholic stance. From 1561 Hoya tried unsuccessfully to found a Jesuit college in Osnabrück. However, he managed to keep the cathedral school Catholic. In 1570 he recognized the resolutions of the Council of Trent for the diocese of Osnabrück. In 1566 he was also elected bishop of Munster. He then recognized the Trent Creed and was ordained. He lost the election de jure his episcopate in Osnabrück, but in fact remained as administrator there as well as prince-bishop. In 1568 he was also elected Bishop of Paderborn. Due to the ban on the accumulation of offices after the Council of Trent, he was officially only the administrator of the bishopric.

In the electoral capitulation in Münster, he promised energetic action against church abuses, sects and religious innovations. There can be no doubt about the goal of sticking to it, but for him the improvement of the government and the reform of the judiciary were also the more important concerns in the two new monasteries.

At the urging of the Münster cathedral chapter and after a papal warning, he had a general church inspection carried out in 1571. The situation in Paderborn was determined by its proximity to Protestant Hesse. His policy there tried to avoid conflicts with the neighbor. This led to the suspicion that John of Hoya allowed the Protestants to do their thing.

Overall, he strove for a fundamental reform of church administration, but his successes in defending Catholicism in the diocese of Osnabrück were limited.

He died on 5 April 1574 in Schloss Ahaus.

Bibliography (in German)

• Heinrich Detmer (1881), "Johann, Graf von Hoya", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 14, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 246–250
• Richard Doebner (1881), "Johann IV., Bischof von Osnabrück", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 14, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, p. 278
• Wolfgang Seegrün (1972), "Hoya, Johann IV. von", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 9, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 666–666; (full text online)
• Wilhelm Kohl: Die Bistümer der Kirchenprovinz Köln. Das Bistum Münster 7,3: Die Diözese. Berlin, 2003 ISBN 978-3-11-017592-9 (Germania Sacra NF. Bd 37,3)
• Franz-Josef Jakobi: Reformer in Zeiten des Umbruchs: Fürstbischof Johann von Hoya (1566–1574), Domdechant Gottfried von Raesfeld (1569–1586) und das Fürstbistum Münster in nachtridentinischer Zeit. In: Westfalen, Hefte für Geschichte, Kunst und Volkskunde. 83. Bd. (2005); S. 138–151; Münster 2008. S. 586ff.
• Elisabeth Kloosterhuis: Fürstbischof Johann von Hoya und das Eindringen der Reichsjustiz in den Fürstbistümern Münster, Osnabrück und Paderborn zwischen 1566 und 1574. In: Westfälische Zeitschrift. 142. 1992, S. 57–117.
• Monique Weis: Diplomatischer Briefwechsel in schwierigen Zeiten. Fürstbischof Johann von Hoya und die spanischen Niederlande (1566–1574). In: Westfälische Zeitschrift. 154. 2004, S. 53–69.

References

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