John Calvin (1509-1564) was a French theologian of the Protestant Reformation. He was greatly influenced by the Humanism of Erasmus while studying at the University of Paris. There he came to reject papal authority and scholasticism in favor of the Scriptures.  In 1533, because of his beliefs, he was forced into exile in Switzerland and in 1538 he fled to Strasbourg, where he married Idelette de Bure in 1540.  While there, the Syndics and Council of Geneva sent a letter to Calvin asking him not to return, and he was officially banished from the city.  In 1541, with the city in turmoil, Calvin returned to Geneva to found a theocracy based on his Ecclesiastical Ordinances. Geneva welcomed religious refugees from across Europe and became a base for the spread of Calvinism.

This medal commemorates the 100^th anniversary of the return of John Calvin to Geneva after his exile.