Jón Arason

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Jón Arason (1484-1550) was an Icelandic bishop and poet. He became a priest about 1504, and having attracted the notice of Gottskálk Nikulásson, bishop of Hólar, was sent by that prelate on two missions to Norway.

In 1522 he succeeded Gottskálk in the see of Hólar, but he was soon driven out by the other Icelandic bishop, Ögmundur of Skálholt. That bishop later proved to be the other to go against Lutheranism, but being old and blind by that time his opposition proved effectively meaningless.

By this point Jón Arason had become known for his great talents if somewhat erratic faith. He fathered numerous children who fought for his causes figuratively and later literally. This despite being the age when Catholic bishops were to be celibate, but Iceland was distant enough from Rome to develop its own peculiarities. This website points out that it's likely that nearly all Icelanders are descendants of Jón Arason, especially do to the very low amount of immigration in Iceland.

After a brief exile in Norway he became involved in a dispute with his sovereign, Christian III., king of Denmark, because he refused to further the progress of Lutheranism in 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 Ögmundur joined their forces to attack the Lutherans. Being old and blind at this stage Ögmundur's contribution didn't last and he quickly faced exile to Denmark. As for Jón his continuing resistance came from a kind of primitive nationalism and simple ambition as much as religion. He resented the Danes changing the religious landscape of Iceland and felt their culture would be less disrupted by staying Catholic. Hence he took encouragement from a letter from Pope Paul III to continue his efforts against the Lutherans. For the Pope this seems to have been a generalized opposition to the spread of Protestantism not necessarily support for the peculiarities of his life or Icelandic culture. Still the encouragement helped strengthen the opposition against the Lutherans into a kind of Civil war. His zeal toward that cause knew no bounds as he fought for what he deemed to be a Catholic, Icelandic, and personal struggle against the Danes. In this struggle he had the help of his illegitimate children who fought with him in various battles. However his attempt to capture his greatest adversary, Daði Gudmundsson, led to himself being taken prisoner and handed over to the king's bailiff. Legend states that on hearing this one of his fiestier daughters rallied her forces to save him, but even if this is so her efforts proved unsuccessful. In 1550 the bishop of Hólar and two of his sons were captured and beheaded. The king's bailiff, named Christian Skriver, would later be killed by fishermen who favored Jón's cause.

Jón Arason was the last Roman Catholic bishop in Iceland. He is celebrated as a poet and as kind of folk hero who fought against Danish imperialism. The writer Gunnar Gunnarsson wrote a novel about his life. Some critics in Iceland and elsewhere indicate his cause might have revolved most around protecting his own power. He was also the man who introduced printing into the island.

As legend will have it, he is also responsible for one of the most enduring sayings in the Icelandic language. 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 treasure of sayings, in this case meaning that something totally obvious has been stated.

[edit] References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.

[edit] External links

• Söguþættir og ættartölur Jóns biskups Arasonar á Hólum Primary sources on Jón's life

• [1] (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 ancestral lines