Johann IV of Osnabrück (18 April 1529 – 5 April 1574) was a German nobleman and prince-bishop. From his father Johann VII's death in 1535 onwards he was known as Count (Graf) Johann VIII von Hoya zu Stolzenau. From 1553 (as Johann IV) he was Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück, then from 1566 (as Johann III) Prince-Bishop of Münster and finally from 1568 (as Johann II) administrator of the Bishopric of Paderborn.
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Family and education
He was born in Viborg to Count John VII of Hoya, his father who was a military colonel and governor in Swedish and Lübian military service and killed in the Count's Feud in 1534. His mother Margareta Eriksdotter Vasa was the sister of King Gustav I of Sweden. He remained unmarried and was the last of his family.
He likely received his early education in Sweden, Reval, and Danzig. In 1547 he was initially assigned the sub-county of Stolzenau. He then went to Paris where he was kindly received by Henry II at the royal court. When France's war with the Reich broke out he went to Italy - referred to as a cleric from Minden - and studied law. He was an educated man and is said to have mastered seven languages. A problem for an intellectual career was his descent from the House of Vasa, since this was partly not considered to be of knightly birth and therefore not eligible for a foundation. Attempts to secure him the position of Archbishop of Cologne are said to have failed.
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.