Idelette de Bure

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Idelette Calvin

Idelette de Bure (born between 1505 and 1509 in Liège ; died on March 29, 1549 in Geneva ) was the wife of the reformer John Calvin .

Life

She was the daughter of the Liege merchant Lambert de Bure and his wife Isabelle, née Jamaer. The Flemish family professed the teachings of Martin Luther around 1520 , but were forced to renounce them again.

Idelette married the Baptist Jean Stordeur in 1525 . With him she had the daughter Judith and the son Charles. The family was banished from Liège in 1533, as was Idelette's brother Lambert de Bure. The refugees came first to Basel and then to Geneva, but were expelled there in the spring of 1538 because of the Anabaptist beliefs. In Strasbourg, the Stordeurs came to the French refugee community, which was looked after from 1538 by Johannes Calvin, who was also deported from Geneva. This finally convinced the Stordeurs around 1539 that the Anabaptists adhered to a heresy. Jean Stordeur died in the spring of 1540 during a plague epidemic.

In the meantime, Johannes Calvin was looking for a suitable wife and was in contact with numerous colleagues. Martin Bucer put him in contact with the young widow Stordeur, whom he actually married in August 1540. From 1541 the couple lived in Geneva again. The son Jacques (or Jakob), born in July 1542, died after a short time. More children were born dead , such as a daughter 1544. In 1545 Idelette ill during a plague epidemic difficult, but recovered.

There are only a few reports by John Calvin that provide information about his wife Idelette. According to his statements, she cared for him self-sacrificingly during his illnesses and never put obstacles in his way; she was the best companion of his life. She also looked after refugees and the sick a lot.

She fell seriously ill again in the autumn of 1548 and died the following spring.

literature

personal data
SURNAME Bure, Idelette de
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Calvin, Idelette; Stordeur, Idelette
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Wife Johannes Calvins
DATE OF BIRTH uncertain: 1505 or 1507 or 1509
PLACE OF BIRTH Liege
DATE OF DEATH March 29, 1549
Place of death Geneva