John Scotus

Who was John Scotus?

John Scotus was a Bishop of Mecklenburg, from Scotia. It is possible, even likely, that this John can be identified as the John who was allegedly made Bishop of Glasgow sometime between 1055 and 1060, and possibly the John allegedly holding the title of Bishop of Orkney.

At the beginning of the Christian era, Mecklenburg was inhabited by Germanic tribes, but as early as the second century they began to leave the district; Slavonic tribes poured in, and by about 600 they had complete possession of the land. The chief god was Radegast Zuarasici, whose sanctuary at Rethra was the centre of his worship for the whole of Mecklenburg. Charlemagne's conquests in this region were lost soon after his death. Henry I of Germany was the first to force the Slavonic territory again to pay tribute; he also placed it under the jurisdiction of Saxon counts. With the dominion of the Germans, Christianity found ingress into the land. However, antagonism to the tribute to the empire and the Saxon dukes led to a heathen reaction.

He was killed in 1066 during a Wendish revolt against Christianity, when he was sacrificed to Radegast, the god of hospitality.