Arason, J�n c.1484-1550
Icelandic prelate

Born in Eyjafj�r�ur, in the north of Iceland, he was consecrated bishop of the northern see of H�lar in 1524. He fiercely resisted the imposition of Lutheranism from Denmark by the Crown, and when he was declared an outlaw raised a small army of adherents and seized the southern see of Sk�lholt, which had accepted Lutheranism by then. Eventually he and two of his sons were captured in an ambush, and beheaded. Since his execution, J�n Arason has been regarded as a national hero. He was a turbulent, charismatic figure, and a fine poet of both religious and satirical verse. He introduced a printing press to H�lar, the first in Iceland, but none of the books he printed has survived.