JORGA, NICOLAS (1871— ), Rumanian historian and statesman, was born at Botosani on June 17, 1871, and studied in Jassy, Paris, Berlin and Leipzig. In 1894 he was appointed professor of universal history at the University of Bucharest. Jorga made extensive researches in libraries and archives abroad and collected notes referring to the history of the Rumanian nation. As a result of his researches, he published over 20,000 documents in the Annals of the Rumanian Academy, of which he became one of the most prominent members. He was also associate professor at the Sorbonne, and holder of many foreign distinctions.
Jorga produced innumerable biographical and historical works, as well as many volumes on Rumanian art, towns, monasteries and historical monuments. He wrote several plays (historical dramas and comedies) which form part of the repertory of the Rumanian national theatres. He became also the director of Neamul Ro mcinesc, the official organ of the National Rumanian party. Jorga was for many years the chief of the nationalist party, which later combined with other political groups to form the National Ruma nian party. He was prime minister from April 1931 to May 1932. Among his best known works are : Geschichte des rumdnischen V olkes (1905); Geschichte des osmanischen Reiches (5 vol., 1908, etc.) ; The Byzantine Empire (Eng. trans. by A. H. Powles, 1907); Histoire des etats balcaniques jusqu'a 1924 (1925), and a History of Rumania (Eng. trans. 1925, bibl.). He also wrote numerous historical works in French, Italian and Swedish. JORIS, DAVID, the common name of JAN JORISZ or JORIS ZOON (c. 1501-1556), Anabaptist heresiarch who called himself later JAN VAN BRUGGE ; was the son of Georgius Joris de Koman, otherwise Joris van Amersfoordt, of Delft. In the year
he began to issue appeals in prose and verse against the Mass and against the pope as antichrist. On Ascension Day 1528 he committed an outrage on the Eucharist carried in procession; he was placed in the pillory, had his tongue bored, and was ban ished from Delft for three years. He turned to the Anabaptists, was rebaptized in 1533, and for some years led a wandering life. He came into relations with John a Lasco, and with Menno Simons. Much influenced by Melchior Hofman, he had no sym pathy with the fanatic violence of the Milnster faction. At the Buckholdt conference in August 1536 he played a mediating part. His mother, in 1537, suffered martyrdom as an Anabaptist. Soon after he took up the role of a new Messiah. From April 1, bringing with him some of his followers, he lived in Basel, which was to be the New Jerusalem, under the name of Jan van Brugge. His writings all in Dutch amounted to over 200 in number. His magnum opus was 'T Wonder Boeck (n.d. 1542, 2 pts.; 1551, 4 Pts.; both edns. anonymous). He died on Aug. 25, 1556, and was buried, with all religious honours, in the church of St. Leonard, Basel. Three years later, Nicolas Blesdijk denounced the dead man to the authorities of Basel. An investigation took place in 1559, a conviction for heresy followed, and the exhumed body of Jorisz was burned, together with his portrait.
See P. Burckhardt, Basler Biographien (i9oo) ; Hegler, in Hauck's Realencyklopadie (19oI), and the bibliography by A. van der Linde, 1867, supplemented by E. Weller, 1869.