The County of Hoya (German: ''Grafschaft Hoya'') was a state of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
, located in the present
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
state of
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
. It was centered on the town of
Hoya on the middle
Weser
The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports of Bre ...
river, between
Bremen
Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...
and
Nienburg; the area now belongs to the districts of
Nienburg and
Diepholz
Diepholz (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Deefholt'') is a town and capital of the district of Diepholz in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the rivers Hunte and Lohne, approximately 45 km northeast of Osnabrück, and 60 km southwest of ...
. The largest city of the county was Nienburg.
Geography
As of 1582, Hoya was bordered by (from the north, clockwise): The City of
Bremen
Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...
, the
Archbishopric of Bremen, the
Bishopric of Verden, the
Lüneburg
Lüneburg (officially the ''Hanseatic City of Lüneburg'', German: ''Hansestadt Lüneburg'', , Low German ''Lümborg'', Latin ''Luneburgum'' or ''Lunaburgum'', Old High German ''Luneburc'', Old Saxon ''Hliuni'', Polabian ''Glain''), also calle ...
and
Calenberg
The Calenberg is a hill in central Germany in the Leine depression near Pattensen in the municipality of Schulenburg. It lies 13 km west of the city of Hildesheim in south Lower Saxony on the edge of the Central Uplands. It is made from a ...
subdivisions of
Brunswick-Lüneburg, the
Bishopric of Minden
The Prince-Bishopric of Minden (german: Fürstbistum Minden; Bistum Minden; Hochstift Minden; Stift Minden) was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire. It was progressively secularized following the Protestant Reformation when ...
, the
County of Diepholz
The County of Diepholz (West Low German: ''Deefholt''), that was first known as the Lordship of Diepholz, was a territory in the Holy Roman Empire in the Lower-Rhenish-Westphalian Circle. It was ruled by the Noble Lords, later Counts, of Diepholz ...
, the
Bishopric of Münster
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...
, and the
County of Oldenburg
The County of Oldenburg was a county of the Holy Roman Empire.
In 1448 Christian I of Denmark (of the House of Oldenburg), Count of Oldenburg became King of Denmark, and later King of Norway and King of Sweden. One of his grandsons, Adolf, Duk ...
.
History
A first Count Henry at Hoya in
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
appeared as a vassal of Archbishop
Hartwig II
Hartwig of Uthlede (died 3 November 1207) was a German nobleman who – as Hartwig II – Prince-Archbishop of Bremen (1185–1190 and de facto again 1192–1207) and one of the originators of the Livonian Crusade.
Biography
Coming from a fami ...
of
Bremen
Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...
in 1202. He had disputes with the local
Hodenberg
Hodenberg is the name of an old Lower Saxon noble family. The originally '' hochfrei'' family line belonged to the fourth military feudal level or ''Heerschild''.
History
Since early times the von Hodenberg lords were protectors (''Schirmvà ...
noble family at
Hodenhagen Castle
Hodenhagen Castle (German: ''Burg Hodenhagen'') is the site ('' Burgstall'') of a former lowland castle (''Niederungsburg'') built in the 13th century in the vicinity of Hodenhagen in the German state of Lower Saxony. This medieval manor house only ...
over their estates on the Weser which were gradually acquired by Count Henry and his descendants until 1313. The acquisition of Nienburg led to a long-term conflict with the
Bishops of Minden who baulked at the expansionism of their comital neighbours.
![Hoya 051](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Hoya_051.JPG)
In 1345 the brothers Gerhard III and John II of Hoya, divided the county among themselves. When the elder branch of the Gerhard line at Hoya became extinct in 1497, the territories were re-unified under John's descendant Count
Jobst I residing at Nienburg. In 1450 the family became embroiled in the
Münster Diocesan Feud
The Münster Diocesan Feud (german: Münsterische Stiftsfehde), or simply Münster Feud, was a dispute that took place between 1450 and 1457 over the appointment to the bishop's throne in Münster, and hence the rule of the diocese. The cause was ...
, but failed in their attempt to install Erich of Hoya as the Bishop of
Münster
Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state di ...
. In the 16th century, the counts came under pressure from the mighty Dukes of
Brunswick-Lüneburg, who in 1512 occupied their estates.
The county was partitioned after
Otto VIII, Count of Hoya died without sons in 1582. The majority of the territory was received by the
Calenberg
The Calenberg is a hill in central Germany in the Leine depression near Pattensen in the municipality of Schulenburg. It lies 13 km west of the city of Hildesheim in south Lower Saxony on the edge of the Central Uplands. It is made from a ...
line with the remainder to the
Lüneburg
Lüneburg (officially the ''Hanseatic City of Lüneburg'', German: ''Hansestadt Lüneburg'', , Low German ''Lümborg'', Latin ''Luneburgum'' or ''Lunaburgum'', Old High German ''Luneburc'', Old Saxon ''Hliuni'', Polabian ''Glain''), also calle ...
line of the Duchy of
Brunswick-Lüneburg and the
Landgraviate of Hesse-Cassel
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Kassel), spelled Hesse-Cassel during its entire existence, was a state in the Holy Roman Empire that was imperial immediacy, directly subject to the Emperor. The state was created i ...
. The Counts of Hoya already had to recognize the
Welf Welf is a Germanic first name that may refer to:
*Welf (father of Judith), 9th century Frankish count, father-in-law of Louis the Pious
*Welf I, d. bef. 876, count of Alpgau and Linzgau
*Welf II, Count of Swabia, died 1030, supposed descendant of W ...
dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg as
liege lord
Homage (from Medieval Latin , lit. "pertaining to a man") in the Middle Ages was the ceremony in which a feudal tenant or vassal pledged reverence and submission to his feudal lord, receiving in exchange the symbolic title to his new position (inv ...
s in 1512.
After the
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War, also by many variant names such as Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), (; "German war of brothers") and by a variety of other names, was fought in 186 ...
of 1866, the area together with the
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover (german: Königreich Hannover) was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Han ...
was annexed by
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
.
Counts of Hoya
* Henry I 1202-1235
* Henry II 1235-1290
* Gerhard II 1290-1313
* Otto II 1313-1324
* Gerhard III 1324-1345 jointly with his brother
** John II
Reunited
*
Jobst I 1497-1507
*
Jobst II 1507-1545
*
Albert II 1545-1563
*
Eric V 1563-1575
*
Otto VIII 1575-1582
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoya
States and territories established in 1202
Counties of the Holy Roman Empire
1200s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire
1202 establishments in Europe
1582 disestablishments in the Holy Roman Empire
Former states and territories of Lower Saxony
Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle