Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 11.djvu/270

* JOHN. 244 JOHN. Holy League by Spain, the Pope, and Venice against the Turks in 1571, Don Jolin was given llic supreme eoniiiiand of a lleet of more than 200 galleys, with which lie won a spli-ndid victory over the superior forces of the Turks, iit Lepanto, October 7, 1571, killing or taking more than yO.OOO of the enemy, and releasing more than 12,000 Christian galley-slaves. His ambition to establish an indejiendent kingdom for himself in Greece was frustrated by the opposition of the Spanish King. In October, 1573. he took Tunis from the Turks, hoping to make himself ruler of the city; but here, too, his |)lans shattered against the jealous refusal of Philip 11. In 1576 he was appnintcd fiovcrnor of the Xctherlands, to succeed Don Luis de Kequesens. The Paciliea- tion of Ghent, signed in the same year, had united all of the provinces, e.cept Luxemburg, against Spanish misrule, and Don John was forced to make the journey to the north disguised as a slave in the train of Ottavio fionzaga. From Luxemburg he carried on negotiations with the Estates, and was able to enter Brussels (Jlay, 1377 1 only after he had issued his Perpetual Edict, reaffirming the imnuniitics granted the Protestants by the Pacificaliun of Ghent, and promising in addition the removal of the hated Spanish soldier)' from the country. William of Orange, however, continued in his policy of op- position, out of distrust in the promises of the Spanish party, although Don John seems to have carried out the terms of the Edict in sending the Spanish soldiers out of the country, and delivering a number of castles into tiie hands of Flemish commanders. In December, 1577. Don John was deposed by the Estates, and William, as Protector of Brabant, took the field against him. With the aid of a Spanish army, brought to the Xethcrlands by Alexander Farnese, his old schoolmate, Don John won the victory of Genihloux, .January 31, 1578; but. for lack of support, was unable to prosecute the campaign. Philip II., who saw in Don .John's success a possible danger to himself, delayed in sending him reenforcements, and this enabled the party of Orange to make headway against the Gov- ernor. At this time he is said to have enter- tained the wild scheme of invading England, rescuing Mary. Queen of Scots, and making him- self King of Scotland, if not of the entire island. He died suddenly at his camp near Xamur, October I, 1578. his death being attributed to poison administered by order of Pliilip 11. For such a conjecture, however, there is no basis of fact. Consult: Stirling-ilaxwell, Don Juan of Austria (London, 1883) ; Montplainchamp, His- toirc de Don Jean d'Auiriche (Amsterdam. 1G901 : Motley, The United Xctherlands. JOHN OF Briexne (1148?-12.37). King of Jerusalem from 1210 to 1225 and Latin Em- peror of Constantinople after 1220. He took part in the crusade which resulted in the estab- lishment of the Latin Empire of the East in 1204. His ability and valor caused him to be chosen as the husband of Mary, the young Queen of .Terusalem. whom he married in 1210. In 1212. on the death of the Queen, he became Resent for his daughter, who inherited the crown. He took an important part in the Crusade of 1217. In 1225 the Emperor Frederick II.. who had married John's daughter, forced him to resign the title of King. Soon after John took command of the Papal troops in the attack upon Frederick's pos sessions. In 1229 he was elected Regent and co-I2niperor of the Eastern Empire, aud spent the rcnuiining years of his life in its service. Con- sult Georges, Jean de liricnne (Troyes, 1858). See Baldwin II. JOHN OF Caitauoci-V. Logothete and later ])ra'torian prefect under the Emperor .lustinian (527-5U5). He tilled the Imperial treasury by ta.xation. but was noted for his dislionesly, cruel- ty, gluttony, and debaucliery. In 541, by a stratagem of Theodora, he was detected in a con- spiracy to depose the Emperor and was exiled. After Theodora's death, in 548, he returned to Constantinojile, and is said to liave begged his bread. JOHN OF Dama.scu.s (c. 700-754). The author of the standard text-book of dogmatic theology in the Greek Chureli. He was Ijoni at Damas- cus about ..u. 700. Like his father, he was a financial officer of high rank under the Caliph of Damascus. Much excited over the Imperial order forbidding the ecclesiastical use of images, he issued three letters in behalf of image-wor- ship. Being outside of the (ireek Emperor's authority, he escaped his wrath, but ultimately his position was made uncomfortable, and in 7.30 he became a monk in the Convent of JIar Sal)a, near the westeni shore of the Dead Sea and some eighteen miles southeast of Jerusalem, where he sjient the rs.st of his days in the composition of theological works, and was ordained a priest. He died about ..i). 754, and had the honor of being canonized by both the Latin and Greek Churches; in the former his day is May fith, in the latter December 4th. He is one of the Doctors of the Latin Church. On account of his eloquence he has received the epithet Chri/sorrlioas. "the stream of gold.' He was a man of extensive erudition, and was considered the ablest philosopher of his time; but his writings are characterized by weak- ness of judgment and want of critical power. His fame rests upon his three Operations or let- ters upon image-worship (translated by Allies, John Damascene's Treatise on Tloly Jmafjes and Sermons on the Assumption, London, 1899) ; and on his Fount of ICnoivlcdric in thiee parts: (1) "Heads of Philosophy:" (2) "Compendium of Heresies:'" and (3) "An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith" (Eng, trans, of the third part by Salmond, in yicene and I'ost-Nicene Fathers, 2(1 series, vol. ix. 1-106). His complete works are in Migne, Patrol. Grceca, xeiv.-xcvi. For his biographv. consult Langen (Gotha, 1879): Lnp- ton (London. 1882). Douglas (London, 1901) has made liim the subject of a poem. JOHN OF Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (1340- 99). The fourth son of Edward III. of England. He was born at Ghent, whence his name (Gaunt). In the French wars he served with great liravery under his brother. Edward the Black Prince. He succeeded in 1361 to the Earldom of Lan- caster in the name of his wife. Blanche, who was the daughter of Hen^i^ Duke of Lancaster, and whom he had married in 1361. In 1369 his wife died, but two years later .John mar- ried Constance, daughter of Peter the Cruel. King of Castile, whom the English had been aiding against his rival. Henry of Trastamarc (q.v.). Peter the Cruel having been killed in 1369, .John claimed the crown of Castile, but was never able to make any headway against Henry. The contest was ended upon the mar- riage of his daughter to the heir to the throne.