John Knox

Knox, John (1514?–72), Scottish Protestant Reformation leader. A Catholic priest, Knox converted to Protestantism and fled in 1554 from the Roman Catholic regime of English queen Mary I to Geneva, where he became a follower of John Calvin. He returned to Scotland in 1559 ardently preaching Protestantism. When it became the state religion (1560) Knox gained great political influence, opposing Mary Queen of Scots. His writings include his unfinished History of the Reformation in Scotland (pub. 1644), First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women (1556–58), and the Book of Common Order.

See also: Reformation.