The French religious thinker John Calvin was one of the leaders of the Reformation. He born on July 10, 1509 in Noyon and died on May 27, 1564 in Geneve. Calvin and others wanted to change, or reform, the Roman Catholic Church. Instead the Reformation led to the creation of a new branch of Christianity called Protestantism. After his death his followers, called Calvinists, spread his ideas across Europe. In the 1600s some English Calvinists brought Calvinism to North America. Today many people view Calvin as the founding father of several Protestant churches, including the Reformed.