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John Calvin

French Protestant reformer (1509–1564)
Person human Q37577
John Calvin
Portrait_john_calvin.jpg: Anonymous · Public Domain · Wikimedia
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Summary

John Calvin was born on July 10, 1509[1], in Noyon[2]. He died on May 27, 1564[3], in Geneva[4]. He worked as a pastor[5], Protestant reformer[6], theologian[7], lawyer[8], and writer[9]. He ranks in the top 0.52% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (20,515 views/month, #5,152 of 1,000,298).[10]

Key Facts

  • Place of burial: Cemetery of Kings[11]
  • Father: Gérard Cauvin[12]
  • Spouse: Idelette Calvin[13]
  • Country of citizenship: Kingdom of France[14], Republic of Geneva[15]
  • Native language: French[16]
  • Field of work: theology[17]
  • Educated at: Collège de la Marche[18], Collège de Montaigu[19], University of Bourges[20], Old University of Orléans[21], University of Orléans[22]
  • Student: Franciscus Junius[23]
  • Notable work: Institutes of the Christian Religion[24]
  • Religion or worldview: Reformed Christianity[25], Catholicism[26]
  • Influenced by: Augustine of Hippo[27], Martin Luther[28]
  • Sex or gender: male[29]
  • Doctoral student: Franciscus Junius[30], Lambert Daneau[31]
  • Commons category: John Calvin[32]
  • Said to be the same as: Charles d'Espeville[33]
  • Cause of death: sepsis[34]
  • Family name: Calvin[35]
  • Given name: Jean[36]
  • Pseudonym: Charles d'Espeville[37]
  • Significant event: Protestant Reformation[38]
  • Topic's main category: Category:John Calvin[39]
  • Commons gallery: Jean Calvin[40]
  • Work location: Geneva[41], Strasbourg[42]
  • Medical condition: asthma[43]
  • Student of: Melchior Volmar[44], Andrea Alciato[45]

Body

Works and Contributions

Things named for John Calvin include Calvin University[46], Collège Calvin[47], and Kálvin tér[48].

Why It Matters

John Calvin has Wikipedia articles in 29 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[49] He is known by 115 alternative names across languages and contexts.[50]

He has been cited as an influence by Karl Barth[51], a theologian[52], 1886–1968[53], of Switzerland[54], awarded the Sigmund Freud Prize[55]; Alvin Plantinga[56], a theologian[57], b. 1932[58], of United States[59], awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship[60], specialised in philosophy[61]; Gordon Haddon Clark[62], a theologian[63], 1902–1985[64], of United States[65]; and Immanuel Tremellius[66], a translator[67], 1510–1580[68], of Duchy of Ferrara[69].

Works attributed to him include Institutes of the Christian Religion[70], a literary work[71]; Genevan Psalter[72], a metrical psalter[73]; Treatise on Relics[74], a literary work[75]; French Confession of Faith[76], a reformed confession of faith[77]; and Consensus Tigurinus[78]. Entities named for him include Calvin University[46], Collège Calvin[47], and Kálvin tér[48].

His notable doctoral advisees include Franciscus Junius[79] and Lambert Daneau[80].

FAQs

Where was John Calvin born?

John Calvin was born in Noyon[2].

Where did John Calvin die?

John Calvin died in Geneva[4].

Who were John Calvin's parents?

John Calvin's father was Gérard Cauvin[12].

Who was John Calvin married to?

John Calvin's spouses include Idelette Calvin[13].

What did John Calvin do for work?

John Calvin worked as a pastor[5], Protestant reformer[6], theologian[7], lawyer[8], and writer[9].

Where did John Calvin go to school?

John Calvin was educated at Collège de la Marche[18], Collège de Montaigu[19], University of Bourges[20], and Old University of Orléans[21].

Who did John Calvin influence?

John Calvin has been cited as an influence by Karl Barth[51], Alvin Plantinga[56], Gordon Haddon Clark[62], and Immanuel Tremellius[66].

Related Entities

Alvin Plantinga Augustine of Hippo Calvin University John Knox Karl Barth Kingdom of France lawyer Martin Bucer Martin Luther Noyon Philipp Melanchthon Theodore Beza theology Tradate University of Bourges

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  3. [29] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  4. [12] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  5. [13] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  6. [14] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  7. [15] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  8. [18] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  9. [19] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  10. [20] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  11. [21] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  12. [22] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  13. [17] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  14. [16] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  15. [5] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  16. [6] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  17. [7] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  18. [8] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  19. [9] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  20. [11] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  21. [25] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  22. [26] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  23. [30] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  24. [31] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  25. [32] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  26. [33] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  27. [34] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  28. [1] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  29. [3] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  30. [35] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  31. [36] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  32. [27] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  33. [28] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  34. [37] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  35. [38] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  36. [24] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  37. [23] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  38. [39] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  39. [40] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  40. [41] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  41. [42] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  42. [43] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  43. [44] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  44. [45] ↑ . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [51] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [56] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [62] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [66] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [70] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [72] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [74] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [76] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [78] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [79] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [80] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [46] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [47] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [48] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [52] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [53] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [54] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [55] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [57] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [58] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [59] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [60] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [61] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [63] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [64] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [65] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [67] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [68] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [69] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [71] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [73] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [75] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [77] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [10] ↑ . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [49] ↑ . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [50] ↑ . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 4w ago · Printstream · 2026-09-15 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Hessian biography person (gnd) id → 6266
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/54302|batch #54302]]: migrate GND to own IDs"
  2. 8w ago · Mahirtwofivesix · 2026-08-18 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Wikidata description → French Protestant reformer (1509–1564)
    Arabic ontology lexical concept id → 151059147
    "/* wbeditentity-statements-multiple-properties-update:0||3 */ added/modified IDs mapped to WordNet 3.1"
  3. 12w ago · Pierrotrgr · 2026-07-23 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Biblissima authority id → Harry Potter
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Biblissima authority id: Q8337, Import ID Biblissima V3 ([[:toollabs:editgroups/b/OR/31afc9a6fd8|details]])"
  4. 13w ago · Ronald Weiss · 2026-07-13 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Described by source → Dictionary of Biblical Criticism and Interpretation (2007 ed.), Jewish Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron, Small Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary +11
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Described by source: Adam: Decades duae continentes vitas theologorum exterorum principum (1618)"
  5. 13w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-07-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14611 → 10751
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ P14611: 10751, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/260288|batch #260288]]"
  6. 14w ago · Susmuffin · 2026-07-04 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Harper's tag → jean-calvin
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ Harper's tag: jean-calvin, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/289940451|jean calvin (#289940451)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/7915|Harper's tag]] "
  7. 14w ago · Printstream · 2026-07-04 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14608 → 118518534
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ P14608: 118518534, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1783130387391"
  8. 15w ago · Printstream · 2026-07-01 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14585 → 36236
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ P14585: 36236, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1782930557898"
  9. 15w ago · Printstream · 2026-07-01 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14578 → 4228
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ P14578: 4228, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1782902181175"
  10. 15w ago · Printstream · 2026-06-26 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14536 → 340676
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ P14536: 340676, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1782462304762"
  11. 18w ago · Jindřich Rubeš · 2026-06-11 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Svkkl authority id → p0097364-Kalvin-Jan-15091564
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Svkkl authority id: p0097364-Kalvin-Jan-15091564, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/259495|batch #259495]]"
  12. 20w ago · Pescan · 2026-05-27 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Encyclopaedia beliana id → kalvin-jan
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Encyclopaedia beliana id: kalvin-jan"
  13. 22w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb → —
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/30848|batch #30848]]: match CERL IDs on the basis of GND (5)"
  14. 23w ago · Bargioni · 2026-05-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Plaque image → Reformierte Kirche, Zaun, Ulrich Zwingli Plaque, 2021 Kőszeg, Calvin plaque, Kálvin Square, Kecskemét 2016 Hungary.jpg, Calvin & Zwingli plaque (Debrecen Kálvin tér 16).jpg +7
    Local thumb → —
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/30468|batch #30468]]: add P1810 to P5739 2/3"
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