History Atlas

How The Past Is Known
Historical Figures

John Knox

Religious and Spiritual Leaders

Citation Formats

General Reference

APA Style

BibTeX

John Knox (c. 1514-1572) was a Scottish clergyman and theologian who became the principal leader of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland and the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Influenced by reformers including John Calvin, whom he encountered during a period of exile in Geneva, Knox returned to Scotland in 1559 and led a movement that overthrew Catholic authority and established a Reformed national church governed by ministers and elders rather than bishops. A forceful preacher and prolific writer, including works opposing female rule that put him at odds with Mary, Queen of Scots, Knox played a central role in shaping Scotland's religious and political institutions for centuries afterward.

Take a Related Quiz

Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.

View At A Past Year

The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.