Jón Arason (1484 – November 7, 1550) was an Icelandic Roman Catholic

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

and poet, who was executed in his struggle against the imposition of the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

Background

Jón Arason was born in Gryta, educated at Munkaþverá, the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The c ...

of Iceland, and was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned (" ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers onl ...

about 1504. Having attracted the notice of Gottskálk Nikulásson bishop of Hólar, he was sent on two missions to

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

. When Gottskálk died in 1520, Jón Arason was chosen as his successor in the

episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...

of Hólar, but he was not officially ordained until 1524. The other Icelandic bishop,

Ögmundur Pálsson Ögmundur Pálsson, O.E.S.A. (c. 1475 – 13 July 1541; Modern Icelandic: ) was an Icelandic Roman Catholic prelate, who was the last Catholic bishop of the Icelandic diocese of Skálholt, from 1521 until 1540. He was the son of Páll Gu ...

Skálholt Skálholt (Modern Icelandic: ; non, Skálaholt ) is a historical site in the south of Iceland, at the river Hvítá. History Skálholt was, through eight centuries, one of the most important places in Iceland. A bishopric was established in Sk� ...

, had strongly opposed Jón and even attempted to arrest him in 1522, but Jón managed to escape Iceland on a German ship. The two bishops were eventually reconciled in 1525. Bishop Ögmundur later opposed the imposition of

Lutheranism Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

to Iceland, but being old and blind by that time his opposition was ineffective. Clerical celibacy was only practiced in medieval Iceland in the sense that priests did not marry their partners, and Jón Arason had at least nine children by his long-time partner Helga Sigurðardóttir, of whom six lived to adulthood: sons Ari, Björn, Magnús and Sigurður and daughters Þórunn and Helga. Helga Sigurðardóttir brought important allies for Jón through her family connections, as her father Sigurðar Sveinbjarnarson was a powerful priest at Múli in Aðaldalur. In 1522, Jón officially adopted four of his children as his heirs: Ari, Björn, Magnús and Þórunn.

Struggle with the king

Bishop Jón became involved in a dispute with his sovereign, King Christian III, because of the bishop's refusal to promote Lutheranism on the island. Although initially he took a defensive rather than an offensive position on the matter, this changed radically in 1548. At that point he and Bishop Ögmundur joined their forces to attack the Lutherans. Bishop Ögmundur's contribution did not last, however, because of his infirmities, and he quickly faced exile to Denmark. Jón's continued resistance is thought to have come from a primitive sense of nationalism and raw ambition as much as religion. He resented the Danes' changing the religious landscape of Iceland and felt the island's culture would be less disrupted by staying Catholic. Jón took encouragement from a letter of support from

Pope Paul III Pope Paul III ( la, Paulus III; it, Paolo III; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549), born Alessandro Farnese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death in November 1549. He came to ...

in continuing his efforts against the Lutheran cause and fighting for a Catholic Iceland. In this struggle Jón had the help of his illegitimate children, who fought with him in various battles. However, at the

Battle of Sauðafell The Battle of Sauðafell (''Orrustan á Sauðafelli'') occurred in 1550, when the forces of Catholic Bishop Jón Arason clashed with the forces of Daði Guðmundsson of Snóksdalur. Location Sauðafell was an important part of Daði's fief in ...

, Jón and two of his sons, Ari and Björn, were captured by his greatest adversary,

Daði Guðmundsson Daði Guðmundsson ( – 1563) or Daði of Snóksdal was a farmer and magistrate in 16th century Iceland. He lived in the town of Snóksdalur in Dalasýsla county and played an important role in the Battle of Sauðafell and the Lutheran Reform ...

. The three were taken prisoner and handed over to the king's

bailiff A bailiff (from Middle English baillif, Old French ''baillis'', ''bail'' "custody") is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. Bailiffs are of various kinds and their o ...

. According to legends, on hearing of Jón's capture, one of his daughters rallied her forces to save him, but her efforts proved unsuccessful. In 1550, Jón, Ari, and Björn were beheaded, ending his campaign for a Catholic Iceland. Christian Skriver, the king's bailiff who pronounced the bishop's death sentence, was later killed by fishermen who favored Jón's cause; they were rumoured to have been persuaded to assassinate him by Jón's powerful and wealthy daughter Þórunn Jónsdóttir. Skriver's death was as much personal revenge for Jón's death as it was born of any sectarian strife between Catholics and Lutherans.

Legacy

Legends claim that as he was about to be beheaded, a priest called Sveinn was by his side to offer him comfort. Sveinn told Jón: ''Líf er eftir þetta, herra!'' ("There is a life after this one, Sire!") Jón turned to Sveinn and said: ''Veit ég það, Sveinki!'' ("That I know, little Sveinn!") Ever since ''veit ég það, Sveinki'' has been a part of the Icelandic treasury of sayings, in this case meaning that something totally obvious has been stated.

Gunnar Gunnarsson Gunnar Gunnarsson (18 May 1889 – 21 November 1975) was an Icelandic author who wrote mainly in Danish. He grew up, in considerable poverty, on Valþjófsstaður in Fljótsdalur valley and on Ljótsstaðir in Vopnafjörður. During t ...

wrote ''Jón Arason'' (Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1930), a fictionalized account of the life of Jón. Originally written in Danish, the book has been translated into other languages, including English.

References

Sources

*''This article incorporates text from the 1913 ''

Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...

'' article
Arason Jón
by E.A. Wang, a publication now in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired ...

.'' *

External links

''Söguþættir og ættartölur Jóns biskups Arasonar á Hólum'' Primary sources on Jón's life''Jón Arason biskup og ætt hans'': A concise, Icelandic overview of his life and main poetic works, the main biographies as well as the main novels etc. based on his life, and his ancestry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jon Arason 1484 births 1550 deaths 16th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Iceland Icelandic male poets Executed Icelandic people People executed by Denmark–Norway 16th-century executions by Norway Executed Roman Catholic priests Married Roman Catholic bishops Translators of the Bible into Icelandic Martyred Roman Catholic bishops People executed by Denmark by decapitation Medieval Icelandic writers 16th-century Icelandic poets