John IV of Saxe-Lauenburg (prince-bishop)

The son of Dorothea of Brandenburg and Duke John V of Saxe-Lauenburg (who is also known, confusingly, as John IV) stood for election as prince-archbishop of Bremen, however, the majority of the canons of the cathedral chapters of Bremen and Hamburg (with only three votes) elected Johann Rode archbishop on 30 January 1497.

[1] In 1503 John was elected as Prince-Bishop of Hildesheim, after his brother and predecessor in office, Eric, had resigned in his favour earlier the same year.

On 28 January 1506 the bishop received agreement from the noble assembly (Ständeversammlung) to his raising of the Landbede, a tax.

Following his imperial ban, Bishop John of Hildesheim sought asylum with the Prince-Elector Joachim of Brandenburg and hoped in vain to be reinstated.

In summer 1527 he resigned from office and went, freed from his ban, to become a canon at Ratzeburg in the homonymous prince-bishopric, where he died on 20 November 1547.