He believed that the Lord himself saved him from the delusions that the Roman rulers imposed on Catholics. Having understood, he promoted his ideas and ruthlessly punished dissidents.
Finding a new path is always full of risk. Few people manage to avoid repeating all those mistakes for which their predecessors are condemned in the fight against the ills of society. The founder of a new trend in Christianity was no exception.
Childhood
Jean was born in July 1509 in the French city of Noyon. His father Gerard was a lawyer. He provided his family not only financially, but also sought to acquire a high place in society. In which particular area the son will make a career, the parent did not care, the main thing is that he is respected and on an equal footing with the aristocrats.
Our hero could observe the depravity of the clergy from an early age. In 1521, in one of the nearby villages, the position of a chaplain was vacated, and a caring papa made the boy a spiritual person. So that there was no doubt about the competence of the child, the child was sent to study at the University of Paris. True, Jean spent his first student years at home, being on the lists of students. He went to the capital in 1523 due to the fact that a plague epidemic began in his hometown, and it was necessary to flee somewhere from the infection.
Youth
The teenager liked his studies. Lectures were given by famous teachers, in addition to theology, students were taught foreign languages and literature. The mentors noticed the talented boy and assigned him to the Faculty of Arts in the Montague College. Jean was preparing to become a Christian philosopher, but these plans were not destined to come true. In 1528, his father recalled his son from Paris and sent him to Orleans. There, his heir was to receive a law degree. The diligent young man completed the task, simultaneously visiting Paris, so as not to leave his beloved faculty.
Receiving 2 higher educations, our hero managed to work on his own work about the Catholic Church. John Calvin found it imperfect and assumed that some reforms would benefit this structure. He presented his work to the court of the teachers of the University of Paris in 1533. The new rector of the university, Nicolas Cope, was imbued with the ideas of the graduate and allowed himself to read the text in public. A scandal erupted and the freethinkers fled from Paris.
Exile
The apostate theologian was graciously accepted only by those who sympathized with the ideas of the Reformation. Citizens loyal to Rome, regardless of their position in society, saw it as an enemy. The poor man had to move from city to city in order not to fall into the hands of angry aborigines. In 1534, Calvin visited his native Noyon and officially resigned his chaplaincy.
In 1535, John Calvin reached Basel. Here the fanatics could not get it, since the city was in the power of Protestants. Here he created and published his work "Instructions of the Christian Faith". Now I had to acquaint the world with my thoughts. The reformer tried to find like-minded people in Italy and France, but to no avail. Geneva lay in his path. The monopoly of the Roman church was recently overthrown there and local activists created their own version of a religious community. They needed a competent philosopher, in whose biography there was an open opposition to the Holy See, so they asked Calvin to stay with them, he agreed.
Brawler
All was well during the year. As soon as the magistrate of Geneva began to seek allies in France and Switzerland, Calvin showed his rebellious character. He expressed disagreement with the dogmas of the new church by refusing to take the sacrament on Easter. They could not forgive him for such a demarche and asked him to leave the city. The poor fellow was helped to find a new shelter by his fellow Protestants who lived in Strasbourg. Our hero went to this city.
Jean began to settle down in a new place with the arrangement of his personal life. He stated that celibacy is contrary to God, and it is difficult for a clergyman to manage a household alone, because he needs a wife. Friends recommended a wealthy widow Idelette de Bure. The woman had two children by her late husband and did not speak French. Calvin did not like the lady, but the pimps tried, and in 1540 the couple got married
Tyrant
In Geneva, passions subsided, and the townspeople increasingly remembered Calvin as an honest and righteous man. In 1541 they asked him to return. Jean moved with his family to Switzerland. Then he launched large-scale reforms. A council of priests was formed, which exercised strict supervision over the way of life of the townspeople. This power was much more irreconcilable and despotic than the aristocrats and the Roman church fathers. Any social events of an entertainment nature were banned. The people began to murmur.
In 1553, Dr. Miguel Servetus came to Geneva. He made contributions to natural sciences and tried his hand at theology and began with the denial of the Trinity. The latter was not forgiven him. John Calvin plotted against his brother in misfortune, informing the Inquisition about the places through which Servetus was traveling. When the poor man was in the hands of the reformer, he sent him to the scaffold.
Last years
The terrible reprisal against the scientist not only did not provoke a riot, but also improved the attitude towards the powerful fanatic. John Calvin decided to continue in the same spirit - repression against dissidents swept across Geneva. In 1558 his health deteriorated greatly, but the old man was afraid to leave his business. He clung to power to the end, and it cost him his life. In 1564, John Calvin died.
