largely a development of that of his predecessor in Haar-
lem, Willem den Abt. His finest works are the Haarlem
meat hall (1602–03) and the tower of the Nieuwe Kerk
(1613). Both buildings are basically traditional in type,
but are distinguished by a taut sense of form and a bril-
liant handling of decorative details. While Key stands out
in comparison with many of his 16th-century predeces-
sors for his vigorous and personal sense of decorative de-
sign, he nevertheless remained a provincial figure, rooted
in an essentially Dutch architectural tradition.
Keyser, Hendrick de (1565–1621) Netherlands architect
and sculptor
The son of a cabinet maker, Keyser studied in his native
Utrecht under Cornelis Bloemaert and was appointed city
sculptor and architect of Amsterdam in 1594. In London
in 1607 he met the English sculptor Nicholas Stone, who
became his assistant and son-in-law. Keyser’s major build-
ings include the Zuiderkerk, the Westerkerk, and the ex-
change, all in Amsterdam, and Leyden town hall. Like
Lieven de KEY, Keyser was a leading figure in the last
phase of Dutch MANNERISM. However, unlike his compa-
triot, he outgrew this increasingly provincial tradition, to
become one of the founders of 17th-century Dutch classi-
cism.
Keyser was also the most significant Dutch sculptor of
the early 17th century, working in a style loosely derived
from that of the Italian mannerists. He produced numer-
ous small bronzes and pieces of architectural sculpture.
His chief sculptural work, the tomb of William the Silent
in the Nieuwe Kerk at Delft, was commissioned in 1614
but was not complete by the time of his own death.
Khair ed-Din See BARBAROSSA
Kid, Thomas See KYD, THOMAS
Kirchmaier, Thomas See NAOGEORGUS, THOMAS
Klonowic, Sebastian Fabian (c. 1545–1602) Polish poet
Klonowic was born in Sulmierzyce but worked mainly in
Lublin, where he was a teacher and held civic offices and
described the social life of a Polish town in his satirical
and descriptive verse. He wrote in both Latin and Polish;
his major works in the former are Roxolania (1584) and
the allegory Victoria deorum (1587), and in the latter Flis
(1595) and Worek Judaszów (1600).
Knights Hospitaler (Knights of the Order of the Hos-
pital of St. John of Jerusalem) A religious order founded
in the 11th century in the Holy Land for the medical care
and armed defense of pilgrims. After the fall of Acre
(1291) the order moved first to Cyprus and then settled in
Rhodes (1309), which they held with superlative military
skill against repeated Muslim attacks until 1522, when the
victorious Suleiman the Magnificent allowed them to
withdraw to Crete. They then established themselves on
Malta (1530), where they withstood a famous siege by the
Ottoman fleet in 1565. The Knights’ military prowess was
a key factor in checking Ottoman naval expansionism in
the Mediterranean for nearly three centuries.Knights of Malta See KNIGHTS HOSPITALERKnights of Rhodes See KNIGHTS HOSPITALERKnights Templar A military religious order founded in
1118 in Jerusalem to protect the holy places against the
Muslims. Following the fall of Jerusalem (1187) to Sal-
adin, the Templars continued to fight until the Christians
were ejected from the Holy Land after the siege of Acre
(1291), in which the master of the order was killed. Mean-
while the order prospered to the extent that their head-
quarters in London and Paris were repositories of
immense wealth. This brought upon them the envy of the
French monarchs, who, on a series of trumped-up
charges, persuaded Pope Clement V to suppress the order
at the Council of Vienne in 1312.Knox, John (c. 1513–1572) Scottish religious reformer
Although trained at Glasgow for the Catholic priesthood,
Knox converted to Protestantism in the 1540s. He was a
preacher at St. Andrews when the town was attacked by
the French and suffered two years’ imprisonment in
France. On his release he took a leading role in Edward
VI’s religious reforms in England (1549–53) but fled to
Geneva on the accession of the Catholic Mary I. While
there he published The First Blast of the Trumpet against
the Monstrous Regiment of Women (1558), a violent attack
on Mary of Guise’s regency in Scotland; the following year
he returned to Scotland to join the fight against Catholi-
cism, particularly as represented by Mary of Guise and her
daughter MARY, Queen of Scots. In 1560, in the terms of
the Scottish Confession, Knox shaped the moderate
Calvinist doctrines of the Church of Scotland. After Mary,
Queen of Scots had to abdicate (1567), Knox, with the
support of the regent, the Earl of Moray, directed Scot-
land’s religious affairs and the organization of the Church
of Scotland on democratic lines.
Further reading: Jasper Ridley, John Knox (Oxford,
U.K.: Clarendon Press, 1968); Douglas Wilson, For Kirk
and Covenant: The Stalwart Courage of John Knox
(Nashville, Tenn.: Cumberland House, 2000).Koch, Jodocus See JONAS, JUSTUSKochanowski, Jan (Johannes Cochanovius) (1530–
1584) Polish poet
A native of Sycyn, Kochanowski was educated at Cracow
and Padua. He then visited Königsberg and Paris, meetingKKoocchhaannoowwsskkii,, JJaann 2 26677