To mark the 500th anniversary of the birth of Ignatius Loyola and the 450th anniversary of the foundation of the Society of Jesus, this book portrays Ignatius, his life as a chivalrous Spanish courtier, his conversion and the early years of the Society of Jesus. The author, a Jesuit priest and historian, aims to show Ignatius, who is often seen as a humourless ascetic, as a man of wit and humanity.