Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/672

 652 JOHN JOHN OF AUSTRIA took a conspicuous part in the Franco-Prus- sian war of 1870-'71. King John early show- ed a taste for archroological study and Italian literature. He made a journey to Italy in 1838, and as the fruit of his studies published, under the pseudonyme Philalethes, a German translation of the Divina Commedia of Dante, with critical and historical notes of great value (Leipsic, 1839-'49; 2d ed., 1865). In 1824 he became president of the society of antiquaries of Saxony, and in 1852 and 1853 was president of the German society of history and antiquities. He left manuscript translations from the English of 70 poems, including several by Bryant. JOHN (JOHANN BAPTIST JOSEPH), archduke of Austria, ninth son of the emperor Leopold II. and Maria Louisa of Spain, born in Florence, Jan. 20, 1782, died in Gratz, May 10, 1859. He was carefully educated, and in 1800, when but 18 years of age, was made commander-in-ehief of the Austrian army. He pressed forward into Bavaria, encountered the French under Moreau at Hohenlinden, and suffered a grave defeat there (Dec. 3), which was quickly fol- lowed by a second at Salzburg (Dec. 14). After the conclusion of peace in February, 1801, he became director-in-chief of the de- partments of fortification and engineering throughout the empire. He especially inter- ested himself in the welfare of Tyrol, and after serving as minister of war from 1803 to 1805, he was appointed in the latter year to com- mand the army stationed in that province. After the separation of Tyrol from Austria, he planned through Hormayr the rising of the Tyrolese in 1809 against their new masters, and commanded with success the army ope- rating there and in Italy, defeating the vice- roy Eugene (April 10) in an important engage- ment near Sacile, but retreating when he heard of the critical situation of Vienna. On his re- treat he suffered two defeats (on the Piave and at Raab), nor was an attempt to join his forces with those of his brother at Wagram attended with better fortune. He resigned his com- mand soon after the peace of October, 1809, and was afterward but little concerned in mili- tary affairs. He lived in retirement in Gratz, a city on which he conferred many public bene- fits, till 1848, when he was elected vicar of the empire (Reichsverweser) by the Frankfort par- liament. In this capacity he chiefly devoted himself to protecting the interests of the house of Austria against the growing preponderance of Prussia ; and this course he continued after the nomination of the Prussian king as empe- ror. On the expiration of his term of office (Dec. 20, 1849), which in the mean while had become merely nominal, he again retired to Gratz. He contracted a morganatic marriage in 1827 with Anna Plochel, the daughter of a Styrian postmaster; and by her he left one son, the count of Meran. JOHN, Kngenie, a German novelist, popularly known under the nom de plume of E. Marlitt, born at Arnstadt, Thuringia, Dec. 5, 1825. She is the daughter of a painter, and on ac- count of her fine voice was adopted in 1841 by the princess Matilda of Schwarzburg-Sonders- hausen, who had her educated, and enabled her to study music in Vienna during three years. She then appeared on the stage, but a sudden deafness made her return to Sondershausen a.s a companion of the princess. Her correspon- dents, struck with her attractive style, en- couraged her to write novels, for which pur- pose she returned to Arnstadt in 1863. Her first work, Die Zwulf Apostel, appeared in the Leipsie Gartenlaube in 1865. She acquired celebrity in 1866 by her graphic and poetic delineations of German life in (foldelse ; and in the same year she published Blaubart. Her subsequent works are Das Geheimniss der alien Mamsell(lS67), Reichsgrafin <?wefa(1869), Dm Haideprinzeischen (1871), and Die eweite Frau (1874). Many of them have been translated into English by Mrs. Wister of Philadelphia. JOHN, Knights of Saint. See SAINT JOHN, KNIGHTS OF. JOHN OF AUSTRIA, Don, a Spanish general, natural son of the emperor Charles V., born in Ratisbon, probably in 1547, died near Namur, Oct. 1, 1578. His mother was Barbara Blom- berg, said to have been originally a washer- woman ; she at one time declared in a fit of passion that Don John was not the emperor's son, so that there still remains some doubt as to his origin, though Charles himself never en- tertained any. The child, at first called Ge- ronimo, was carried to Spain and brought up with great care by the emperor's majordomo, Don Luis Quixada; but his parentage was concealed till after Charles's death in 1558, when a private letter to his son and succes- sor Philip II. was found acknowledging him. Philip changed his name, gave him a splen- did establishment at Madrid, and sent him to Alcala to be educated. He was distinguished for beauty and for martial tastes and accom- plishments. In 1565 he departed secretly for Barcelona to take part in the defence of Malta, but was compelled to return by com- mand of the king. Philip manifested for him the tenderest affection, and his countrymen came in time to regard him with feelings little short of idolatry. In June, 1568, Don John sailed in command of an expedition against the Barbary corsairs, with Requesens as lieutenant, and returned triumphant at the end of eight months. In the same year the great insurrec- tion of the Moriscos of Granada had broken out, and Don John was sent thither as nominal commander-in-chief, but hampered by a coun- cil to whose will he was obliged to defer. His first independent exploit was the capture of Galera, which fell Feb. 6, 1570, after immense losses on both sides, and all the inhabitants except a few women and children were by his order put to the sword, and the place was razed to the ground and sown with salt. Other successes followed rapidly until the final expul- sion of the Moriscos from Granada, in which