John Calvin

10 July 1509 – 27 May 1564

John Calvin (1509-1564) was a French theologian and reformer who became the principal figure of the Reformed branch of Protestantism. His Institutes of the Christian Religion systematized Protestant theology, and his leadership in Geneva made the city a center of the Reformation. The theological tradition bearing his name, Calvinism, spread widely across Europe and beyond.

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Lived at the same time

Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with John Calvin.

Life events

Born in Noyon, Picardy, France
10 July 1509

Calvin was born Jehan Cauvin in Noyon, where his father worked as a notary for the cathedral chapter.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Studied at the University of Paris
c. 1523

Calvin studied Latin and philosophy in Paris, attending the College de la Marche and the College de Montaigu.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Studied law at Orleans and Bourges
c. 1528 – c. 1531

At his father's direction Calvin turned to the study of law, during which he was also drawn to Renaissance humanism.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Experienced a religious conversion and broke with the Catholic Church
c. 1533

Around 1533 Calvin underwent what he later described as a sudden conversion, aligning himself with the Protestant reform movement and soon fleeing France.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Published the first edition of the Institutes of the Christian Religion
March 1536

While in Basel, Calvin published the first Latin edition of the Institutes, which he continued to expand throughout his life.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Expelled from Geneva and ministered in Strasbourg
April 1538 – September 1541

After a dispute with the city council, Calvin was expelled from Geneva and served as pastor to the French refugee congregation in Strasbourg.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Married Idelette de Bure
August 1540

In Strasbourg Calvin married Idelette de Bure, a widow with two children; she died in 1549.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Returned to Geneva and instituted the Ecclesiastical Ordinances
13 September 1541

Invited back by the city, Calvin returned to Geneva and reorganized its church through the Ecclesiastical Ordinances, shaping the city's religious and civic life.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Founded the Geneva Academy
5 June 1559

Calvin established the Academy of Geneva, a school that trained Reformed pastors and spread Calvinist teaching across Europe.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Died in Geneva
27 May 1564

Calvin died in Geneva at the age of fifty-four and, at his own request, was buried in an unmarked grave.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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