County of Hoya

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The County of Hoya (German: Grafschaft Hoya) was a state of the Holy Roman Empire in present Germany (Lower Saxony). It was centered on the town of Hoya, between Bremen and Nienburg; the area now belongs to the districts of Nienburg and Diepholz. The largest city of the of the county was Nienburg.

After the last count of Hoya died without sons in 1582, the territory was divided between the Lüneburg line of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, the Calenberg line of the same duchy, and the Landgraviate of Hesse-Cassel. The dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg had been recognized as liege lords of Hoya since 1512.

As of 1582, Hoya was bordered by (from the north, clockwise): The City of Bremen, the Archbishopric of Bremen, the Bishopric of Verden, the Lüneburg subdivision of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, the Calenberg subdivision of Brunswick-Lüneburg, the Bishopric of Minden, the County of Diepholz, the Bishopric of Münster, and the County of Oldenburg.

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