founded in 1388 to commemorate this victory. John and
his wife, Philippa of Lancaster (1360–1415), granddaugh-
ter of King Edward III of England, are both buried there.
John Fisher, St. (1469–1535) Roman Catholic martyr,
churchman, and scholar
As chancellor of Cambridge university (from 1504) Fisher
encouraged Hebrew studies and brought his friend ERAS-
MUSto England to teach. He was also bishop of Rochester
from 1504 until 1534. A strong opponent of the new
Protestant doctrines, Fisher led the defense of traditional
Catholic teaching in England. He enraged HENRY VIIIby
denouncing the king’s attempts to end his marriage to
Catherine of Aragon and by refusing to accept Henry as
supreme head of the Church of England. Shortly before
Fisher’s trial and execution for treason on Tower Hill the
pope made him a cardinal. He was canonized in 1935.
Further reading: Cecilia A. Hatt (ed.), English Works
of John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester: Sermons and Other Writ-
ings 1520 to 1535 (Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press,
2003).
John of Austria, Don (1545–1578) Spanish prince
He was born at Regensburg, the illegitimate son of Em-
peror CHARLES V and a local magnate’s daughter, and
brought up in Spain in ignorance of his parentage. Recog-
nized in Charles’s will, John was received into the royal
family (1559) with the title Don Juan de Austria. His mil-
itary ambitions soon manifested themselves in fighting Al-
gerian corsairs (1568), crushing a revolt of moriscos in
Granada (1569–70), and commanding the Christian fleet
at LEPANTO(1571). PHILIP II, alarmed at his half-brother’s
schemes, refused to back his projects, including his short-
lived capture of Tunis (1573), but instead appointed him
governor-general of the now openly defiant Netherlands
(1576). Having reluctantly complied with the terms of the
Pacification of GHENTin 1577, Don John repudiated the
agreement when he realized how strong Prince WILLIAM
(I) THE SILENThad become. Reinforced by troops under
Alessandro FARNESE, Don John defeated the rebels at Gem-
blours (1578) but was unable to follow up the success and
died of fever the same autumn.
John of the Cross, St. (Juan de Yepes) (1542–1591)
Spanish Carmelite reformer and mystic
He was born the youngest son of a Toledan silk weaver at
Fontiveros and after studying with the Jesuits in Sala-
manca he went to university there. He abandoned the idea
of following his father’s trade and joined the Carmelites in
1563 and was ordained in 1567. He soon met TERESA OF
ÁVILAand promoted her cause of reforming the Carmelite
order (see CARMELITES, REFORM OF THE). In 1568 Antonio
de Heredia, José de Cristo, and he founded the male Dis-
calced Carmelites. In 1572 Teresa of Ávila summoned
John of the Cross (as he now termed himself) to Ávila to
serve as the spiritual adviser to her reformed Convent of
the Incarnation.
Because of a conflict with a Carmelite superior who
disapproved of John’s and Teresa’s reformist activities,
John was imprisoned for a short while in Toledo. During
this period his spiritual experiences intensified and he
wrote the mystical poems The Dark Night of the Soul and
The Spiritual Canticle. In 1578 he escaped from prison and
resumed his former activities. Finally in 1579 the Dis-
calced Carmelites became a recognized order, one of the
several new orders of the Counter-Reformation. Between
then and his death John founded several new houses for
the order. In 1591 his enemies managed to have him re-
lieved of all his offices and even attempted to expel him
from the order. Seriously ill, he nevertheless went to
Ubeda where he received scant welcome. There he died.
He was canonized in 1726 and was named Doctor of the
Church in 1926.
Further reading: Gerald Brenan, St. John of the Cross:
His Life and Poetry (Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge Univer-
sity Press, 1973); Wilfrid McGreal, John of the Cross
(Liguori, Mo.: Liguori Press, 1997).Jonas, Justus (Jodocus Koch) (1493–1555) German
Lutheran jurist and theologian
Jonas was born at Nordhausen and proved to be an able
scholar whose precocious talents attracted the notice of
ERASMUS. He became professor of law at Erfurt in 1518,
and in 1521 professor of theology at Wittenberg. A firm
friend and admirer of LUTHER, Jonas took a prominent part
in the Protestant cause. He attended both the Colloquy of
MARBURG(1529) and the Diet of AUGSBURG(1530), and
translated a number of Luther’s Latin works into German,
along with the Loci communes of Philipp MELANCHTHON.
In 1541 Jonas left Wittenberg to take up a post in Halle,
where as superintendent of the area’s churches he super-
vised the organization of the local reform. Forced to leave
Halle by the Schmalkaldic war (see SCHMALKALDIC
LEAGUE) he eventually settled in Eisleben, where he re-
mained until his death.Jones, Inigo (1573–1652) English architect and stage
designer
The son of a London clockmaker, Jones probably trained
as a painter, although little is known of his early life. He
became acquainted with the ideals of the Italian Renais-
sance during visits to Italy (1598–1603, 1613), where he
studied both classical architecture and the theories of An-
drea PALLADIO. After a short period at the Danish court of
Christian IV, Jones was brought to the court of James I,
where he executed costume and set designs for numerous
masques and plays, notably those by Ben JONSON. After
being consulted on the building of Hatfield House and the
New Exchange for Merchants (now destroyed), he was ap-22662 2 JJoohhnn FFiisshheerr,, SStt..