Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 11.djvu/269

* JOHN. 2i3 JOHN. raised him to the Portuguese throne in 1G40, John IV. va.s Duke of Braganza. As leader of the patriotic party he succeeded in 1640 in expelling the Spanish usurpers and making him- self King, after the country had been sixty years under the yoke of Spain. His election was ratified by the Cortes in .Januarj', 1641. For fifteen years .John IV. ruled Portugal with energy and ability, restoring the finances, and promoting commerce and agriculture. The Spaniards were completely defeated earl.v in his reign at the battle of ilontijo ( 1644), and gave no further trouble. In 1649 and 1654 the Portuguese won important naval vic- tories over the Dutch off the coast of Brazil. At the time of his death, Xovember 6, 1656, John had succeeded in restoring Portugal to her place iimong the nations and establishing his family firmly on the throne. Two of his sons succeeded him in tarn, and his daughter, Catharine of Braganza, became the wife of Charles II. of Eng- land, bringing Bombay as her dowry. JOHN V. (1689-1750). King of Portugal from 1706 to 1750. He was the son of Peter II., whom he succeeded in 1706 in the midst of the War of the Spanish Succession, in which Portugal vas involved as an ally of Great Britain and the Emperor. By the Treaty of TTtrecht (1713) Portugal was confirmed in its possession of both hanks of the Amazon. The King was a man of strong religious tendencies and devoted much attention to ecclesiastical affairs. Numerous cluirches and convents were erected, and to this end the army and the naxj were allowed to sink into complete inefficiency. JOHN VT. (1767-1826). King of Portugal from ISIG to 1826. He was the son of Peter III. and of Queen Maria I., who had succeeded her father, .Joseph I., in 1777. In 1792 Queen Maria became insane, and John was made Prince Regent of the Kingdom. In 1807 Napo- leon attempted to force upon the Regent the acceptance of the Continental System (q.v.), and on the latter's hesitation a French army under .Junot entered the country. On October 27th the Prince Regent and the Court sailed for Brazil, leaving the Government in charge of a council of regency under the !Marquis of .hrantes. On the death of his mother, in 1816, John became King. In Portugal, where the Gov- ernment after the expulsion of the French was carried on by Marshal Beresford. great dissatis- faction prevailed over the arbitrary character of the latter's rule, as well as over the continued absence of the Court. In 1820 the troops at Oporto and Lisbon rose in insurrection and pro- claimed a liberal constitution closely modeled on the Spanish Constitution of 1812. King .John returned to Portugal in 1821. leaving his eldest son. Dom Pedro, as Regent of Brazil, and gave his adhesion to the new Constitution. The party of reaction, however, was strong, and headed by Queen Carlotta and her younger son. Dom Miguel, took courage from the presence of the army ot the Holy Alliance in Spain to stir up an insur- rection in Northern Portugal (May. 1823). and succeeded in obtaining control of the King's per- son. The Cortes was dissolved, a new Ministry was appointed, and an absolutist regime estab- lished. Alarmed by the liberal leanings of cer- tain members of the new Government, Dom Miguel resolved on a coup d'etat, which was car- ried out .pril. 29. 1S24. On ilay 9th King John took refuge on board an English man-of-war and proclaimed his son a traitor. Dom Miguel wag lorced to yield to the pressure of the Powers, and left the country. .John was reinstated in power and restored the Liberal Constitution. He died March 10. 1826. Brazil in 1822 had declared itself independent under Dom Pedro as Emperor, and its independence was acknowledged by Por- tugal in 1S25. On the death of John VI. the Crown of Portugal also fell to Dom Pedro, who resigned it in favor of his daughter. Donna Maria da Gloria. JOHN (1801-73). King of Saxony from 1854 to 1873. He was the youngest son of Prince ilaximilian of Saxony, and was born at Dresden, December 12, 1801. In his youth he traveled in Italy, where he became an ardent student of Italian literature and a devotee of Dante. In 1830 he became commander of the local militia and was made a member of the Privy Coimcil, taking his seat subsequently in the Council of State. As a member of the Upper Chamber he exerted a very powerful influence on legislation. On the death of his brother, Frederick Augustus II., August 9, 1854, he became King. In spite of his great attainments, his statesmanship was not equal to meeting the crucial problems presented by the progressive role of Prussia in German affairs. In the War of 1866, acting upon the advice of his Prime Minister. Count Beust (q.v.), and hoping to strengthen Saxony, he embraced the cause of Austria. Saxony was invaded by Prussian troops, and after the defeat at Sadowa the King was forced to enter into the North German Confederation. He was loyal to the Ger- man cause during the Franco-German War of 1870-71. and played his part in the erection of the German Empire. He died at Pillnitz, Octo- ber 29, 1873. He published an excellent metrical translation of the Divina Commedia, with valu- able notes (1839-49), under the pseudonym Philalethcs. He also left manuscript translations of seventy English poems. He married, in 1822, Amalia Augusta, daughter of Maximilian Joseph, King of Bavaria, by T»hom he had nine children, of whom I'.is eldest son, Albert, succeeded him. JOHN OF AusTRi. (1545-78). A Spanish gen- eral, commonly known as Don John (.Juan) of Austria. He was the illegitimate son of the Em- peror Charles V. by Barbara Blomberg, the daughter of a citizen of Ratisbon, and was born February 24. 1545. He was not at first acknowl- edged by his father, who nevertheless provided for his bringing up. In 1550 he was taken to Spain, and until 1.559 remained imder the care of Don Luis de Quijada at the latter's Castle of Villagarcia. near Valladolid. In his will Charles V. recognized him as his son, and intrusted him to the care of his successor, Philip II., who in 1550 granted him the rank of a prince of the House of Austria, and an establishment at Madrid. He was educated together with the Infante Don Carlos, in whose tragic fate Don .John had some share. In 1568 he was given the command of a squadron which operated against the Barbarv pirates, and in the following year was intrusted with the task of suppressing the Morisco rebellion in Andalusia. Though far from cruel by nature. Don .John carried out his in- structions relentlessly, displaying great military skill in the campaign. By Novenil>er. 1570, all of the Moriscos had either been killed or made their submission. Upon the fTmation of the