Ignacio de Loyola

Ignacio de Loyola was born in 1491 into a Basque noble family. He served as a soldier under Antonio Manrique de Lara, the Viceroy of Navarre - a Kingdom that Spain had conquered in 1512 - and was wounded in the Battle of Pamplona. When the French army, supporting the expelled Navarrese monarchy, stormed the city on May 20, 1521, Loyola was hit by a cannonball that severely injured both his legs. During the long and painful recovery, Ignacio read a translated version of Ludolph of Saxony's 'De Vita Christi' - a commentary on the life of Jesus that had a great influence on Loyola. He abandoned his military life and decided to devote himself entirely to serving God. In 1534, he and six companions formed the Society of Jesus, commonly known as the Jesuits, devoted to opposing heresy and actively promoting the counter-reformation.