Pope John XXII. a native of Cahors, before called James d'Euse, was well skilled in the civil and canon law; and was elected pope after the death of Clement V. on the 7th of August 1316. He published the constitutions called Clementines, which were made by his predecessor; and drew up the other constitutions called Extravagantes. Lewis of Bavaria being elected emperor, John XXII. opposed him in favour of his competitor; which made much noise, and was attended with fatal consequences. That prince, in 1329, caused the antipope Peter de Corbiero, a cordelier, to be elected, who took the name of Nicholas V. and was supported by Michael de Cefenne, general of his order; but that antipope was the following year taken and carried to Avignon, where he begged pardon of the pope with a rope about his neck, and died in prison two or three years after. Under this pope arose the famous question among the cordeliers, called the bread of the cordeliers; which was, Whether those
monks had the property of the things given them, at the time they were making use of them? for example, Whether the bread belonged to them when they were eating it, or to the pope, or to the Roman church? This frivolous question gave great employment to the pope; as well as those which turned upon the colour, form, and stuff, of their habits, whether they ought to be white, grey, or black; whether the cowl ought to be pointed or round, large or small; whether their robes ought to be full, short, or long; of cloth, or of serge, &c. The disputes on all these minute trifles were carried so far between the minor brothers, that some of them were burned upon the occasion. He died at Avignon in 1334, aged 90.
John, king of England. See ENGLAND, no 135, 147.
John of Fordoun. See FORDOUN.
John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, a renowned general, father of Henry IV. king of England, died in 1438.
John of Leyden, otherwise called Buccold. See ANABAPTISTS.
John Sobieski of Poland, one of the greatest warriors in the 17th century, was, in 1665, made grand-marshall of the crown; and, in 1667, grand-general of the kingdom. His victories obtained over the Tartars and the Turks procured him the crown, to which he was elected in 1674. He was an encourager of arts and sciences, and the protector of learned men. He died in 1696, aged 72.
St John's Day, the name of two Christian festivals; one observed on June 24th, kept in commemoration of the wonderful circumstances attending the birth of John the Baptist; and the other on December 27th, in honour of St John the evangelist.
St John's Wort. See HYPERICUM.
John's (St), an island of the East-Indies, and one of the Philippines, east of Mindanayo, from which it is separated by a narrow strait. E. Long. 125. 25. N. Lat. 7. 0.
John's (St), an island of North-America, in the bay of St Lawrence, having New-Scotland on the south and west, and Cape Breton on the east. The British got possession of it when Louisbourg was surrendered to them, on July 26, 1758.