JOHN III. (pope from 560 to 573),successor to Pelagius, was descended from a noble Roman family. He is said to have been successful in preventing an invasion of Italy by the recall of the deposed exarch Narses, but the Lombards still continued their incursions, and, especially during the pontificate of his successor Benedict I., inflicted great miseries on the province.

JOHN III. (1193-1254), Vatatzes, surnamed Ducas, emperor of Nicaea, was born in 1193, and earned for himself such distinction as a soldier that in 1222 he was chosen to succeed Theodore I. His successes in war, which earned for him great renown, were rendered of little advantage to him through the intrigues of other sovereigns, but he administered the internal affairs of his dominions with much enlightenment and skill, and devoted great attention to agriculture. He died 30th October 1254,—not in 1255 as writers previous to Finlay have generally alleged.

JOHN III. (1624-1696), Sobieski, king of Poland, son of Jakob Sobieski, castellan of Cracow, was born 2d June 1624, at Olesko in Galicia. He so distinguished himself in the defensive wars of Poland that in 1667 he received the supreme command of the army, and on the death of Michael Corybut was chosen king, 20th May 1674. He died June 17, 1696....