Thomas à Kempis was born Thomas Hemerken in Kempen, in the Rhineland, around 1380. He spent most of his life as an Augustinian canon regular at Mount St. Agnes, near Zwolle in the Netherlands, where he copied manuscripts, wrote, and advised novices. His community belonged to the Devotio Moderna, a reform movement that stressed simple, practical devotion and the inner life. He died in 1471. The Imitation of Christ is traditionally attributed to him, though its authorship has been debated.