Duke John and Finland’s Church 1556–1563

The short period of John’s duchy (1556–1563) has received significant attention from historians of Finland’s sixteenth century, but relatively little attention has been paid to Duke John’s ecclesiastical policies. This investigation reveals that John sought to maximise control over the church just as he did over other parts of his duchy’s administration. His activities demonstrate that he upheld his father’s conviction that he held the right of ius reformandi, the right of the temporal authorities to regulate religion in their realms. As duke, John grew his power over the clergy and thus the church in three ways. First, he sought clerical loyalty. Second, after first continuing his father’s confiscations of the church’s property, he turned to support the clergy and its parishes with direct financial support. Third, he made pastoral appointments bypassing ecclesiastical and royal administration. This drive to assert control over the church contributed to conflict between John and his brother King Eric XIV. Although John lost his duchy in 1563 to Eric because of this conflict, many of the clergymen whom he appointed and supported still held office when he overthrew Eric in 1568. This cohort of clergymen largely supported the king as he implemented controversial changes in the Swedish kingdom’s church. Keywords: John III, King of Sweden; John, Duke of Finland; Duchy of Finland; reformation; clergy