KNOX, John, Scottish Protestant re former: b. Giffordgate, Haddington, Scotland, 1505; d. Edinburgh, 24 Nov. 1572. (The So ciety of Antiquaries of Scotland discussed the subject of his birthplace in 1858, when Mr. John Richardson of Haddington brought for ward evidence that he was born in Gifford gate, a suburb of Haddington, and not in Gif ford, a village near that town. He was sup ported in this view by Me. Laing, the editor of the reformer's works). After receiving his preliminary education at the grammar school of Haddington, he went in 1521 to the Univer sity of Glasgow, where for several years he studied scholastic philosophy and theology. Noted as a master of dialectic subtleties, he was ordained prior to 1530 and became a teacher of philosophy at Saint Andrew's. The study of the fathers, especially of Jerome and Augustine, had shaken his religious opinions as early as 1535, but it was not till 1542 that he became an avowed and marked reformer. The long period of silence, before in mature age he explained his views with completeness, has been regarded as proof that he was naturally of a prudent and peaceful disposition and not a turbulent partisan, as his after career would indicate. His reprehension of certain practices of the Church caused him to retire from Saint Andrews to the south of Scotland, where he was declared a heretic. After the death of his friend, George Wishart, he remained in retire ment till he took refuge with many other Prot estants (1547) in the castle of Saint Andrews, which the regent was vainly attempting to re duce. There for the first time he became known as a powerful preacher against the pa pacy. The regent, re-enforced by a French squadron, obliged the garrison to surrender. The terms of the capitulation were violated and Knox with his comrades was transported to France, where he was imprisoned on the gal leys for 19 months. He experienced extreme hardships, and on his release (1549) directed his course to England, where he was appointed to preach at Berwick and at Newcastle and be came one of the chaplains of Edward VI. For the boldness of his discourses he was several times called to account, but was able to vindi cate himself. A bishopric was offered to him, but he declined it from scruples as to the divine authority of the episcopal order. On the ac cession of Queen Mary he fled from England to Dieppe and passed thence to Geneva, where, after taking part in the memorable troubles at Frankfort and after a short visit to Scotland, he became pastor (1556) of a small English congregation. The two years of his residence in Geneva, in the society of Calvin, Beza and other learned men, were among the happiest of his life. While in Scotland he had been cited to appear before an assembly of the. clergy to be held at Edinburgh, and after his return to Geneva the citation was renewed and he was condemned to be burned as a heretic and the sentence was executed on his effigy. this condemnation he published the tion of John Knoxe.) He also wrote a tract entitled the (First Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstrous Regiment of Women) (1558), a vehement attack on the political government of women, at a time when Mary of Guise was re gent of Scotland and Mary Tudor queen of England, and the nearest in succession to both thrones were females. Invited by the Scottish Protestants to resume his labors in his native country, he landed at Leith in 1559. The queen regent had laid her plans for the forcible over throw of the reformation. At a convention of the nobility and clergy in Edinburgh all the de mands of the Protestants were refused. Sev eral of the reforming preachers were summoned to appear at Stirling for trial, but by the dis simulation of the regent were prevented from attending and then outlawed for their failure. Knox hastened to meet them at Perth, where he preached against the "idolatry of the masse and the veneration of images. At the conclu sion of the service there was a violent out break. The images in the churches were de molished, the pictures torn from the walls and trampled under foot, the holy recesses invaded and the "rascal multitude? as Knox calls them, did not stop till they had sacked and laid in ruins the houses of the Dominican and Fran ciscan friars and the Carthusian monastery.
The queen regent advanced upon Perth with an army, but, finding the Protestants well pre pared for resistance, proposed terms of ac commodation which were accepted. The Prot estants, in order to consolidate their strength, formed a religious bond or covenant and began to be distinguished as the congregation and their leaders as the lords of the congregation. Iconoclasm was a prominent feature in the Scottish reformation. Events similar to those at Perth followed at Stirling, Lindores, Cupar, Saint Andrews and other places. Knox had preached in the cathedral of Saint Andrews with such success that the magistrates united with the inhabitants in desolating the churches and monasteries and in establishing the re formed worship. Meantime civil war raged throughout the kingdom between the regent, assisted by French troops, and the lords of the congregation. In political as well as ecclesias tical affairs Knox was a conspicuous adviser and took up his residence in Edinburgh after an extensive circuit through the southern and eastern counties. After a contest of 12 months, the vigorous assistance rendered by Elizabeth and the death of the queen regent while the i English troops were investing Edinburgh led to a truce and to the summons of the Parlia ment to settle differences. Parliament assem bled in August 1560, the reformed religion was established and Roman Catholicism interdicted by law in Scotland. Soon after the arrival of the young Queen Mary (21 Aug. 1561) she summoned the influential and noted reformer to her presence. Six interviews are recorded between him and the queen, and the questions which she raised were discussed by him with a rude vehemence and rigor, which once drove her to tears. She caused his arrest on a charge of treason in 1563, but all the councillors ex cept the immediate dependents of the court voted for his acquittal. The vehemence of his public discourses led him into frequent difficul ties. In 1562 he disputed publicly for three days with Abbot Quentin Kennedy at May bole; in 1565 he quoted certain texts which gave offense to the court and was for a short time prohibited from preaching. He fled from Edinburgh when the queen returned from Dun bar after the death of Rizzio; and he preached a sermon at the coronation of the infant king at Stirling (29 July 1567). Under the brief re gency of Moray, the work of Knox seemed to be completed, but after the assassination of Moray, civil and religious confusion returned under the regency successively of Lennox and Mar. Weakened by a stroke of apoplexy in 1570, Knox yet reappeared in the pulpit, but so violent was the enmity excited by his animad versions that he left Edinburgh for Saint An drews, 5 May 1571. He returned in the fol lowing year and his last energies were put i forth in denunciations of the perpetrators of the massacre of Saint Bartholomew's. The doctrines of Knox embraced a Calvinistic creed and a Presbyterian polity. The "Order of Geneva? a liturgy which he shared in pre paring for the use of the church at Frank fort, and subsequently employed in his congre gation at Geneva, was introduced into Scottish Protestant churches in 1565. His character was marked by a stern realism, which could be beguiled by no social pretensions, no conven tional dignities, no pompous traditions. From this sprang his scornful bitterness and his in sensibility to the social graces and refinements which Mary exhibited. He was not a thinker except on political topics. His 'History of the Reformation of Religioun in the Realme of Scotland' is the best known of his writings. The liturgy prepared by him has been edited by Sprott under the title 'The Book of Common Order of the Church of Scotland) (London 1911). Consult 'Lives,' by McCrie (1813) ; Taylor (1N5) ; Brown, P. H. (1895) ; Lorimer, 'John Knox and the Church of England' (1875); Carrick, 'John Knox and his (1902); Hart, A. B., 'John Knox as a Man of the World) (in American Historical Re view, Vol. XIII, Lancaster, Pa., 1908).