John Calvin (Jean Cauvin) was born on July 10, 1509, at Noyon in Picardy, France. He was the second of five children of Gerard Cauvin, a man of some means, who was the secretary of the Bishop of Noyon. Thus, he was able to obtain certain benefices for his son. For example, young John became a chaplain at the age of twelve, an office which he later exchanged for a higher paying position. Before Calvin was a teenager, the Reformation in Germany, under Martin Luther (1483-1546), was already in full swing. Therefore, Calvin is properly referred to as a second generation Reformer.