The Life of John Knox

Herein are both biographical volumes concerning Scotland’s famous minister John Knox, who led the Scottish Reformation and helped found the Church of Scotland.

The son of a merchant, Knox received a good education and was naturally academic from youth. In the 1500s, the church and priesthood was where those of scholarly tendencies went: John duly became a priest and tutor. Taken by the ideas of the Protestant Reformation, by 1546 Knox was a vocally supportive reformist. His skills of eloquent speech were noticed, and he was assigned the chaplaincy of St. Andrews, a castle garrison in Fife, Scotland.

The ongoing skirmishes amid religious upheavals meant Knox had to change his position several times. He ventured across Europe, helping Protestant groups and preaching the cause. He grew particularly attached to the Swiss city of Geneva, a peaceful place which was tolerant of Protestantism. It was not until 1559 that Knox returned to Scotland; the coronation of Elizabeth I, a Protestant queen, assured that Scotland’s Reformation could proceed. Knox, possessed of strong will and ideas, was keen to influence the process.

When Knox died in 1572, his death was scarcely noticed by ordinary Scots. This biography seeks to do justice to John Knox, whose tireless service to the Protestant cause changed Scottish history forever.