Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Furthermore Franche-Comté provided a
part of the “Spanish Road” along which
troops could be moved from Italy up into
northern Europe without having to venture
into disputed territory on land or sea. Inevi-
tably, as Spanish power declined in the late
17th-century, France asserted her claim to
Franche-Comté and in a series of negotia-
tions culminating in 1678 Spain surren-
dered the “free county” to King Louis XIV.
ent-day Indonesia), and Japan. After a time
in G
OA
, the center of Portugal's Asian
empire, Xavier set out for China, the great-
est challenge to Christian evangelization
then remaining. While preparing himself to
undertake this challenge he fell ill and died
on an island off the Chinese coast.
Xavier has been rightly called the “Apos-
tle of the Indies.” In little more than 10
years he traveled thousands of miles and
brought his faith to thousands of people
belonging to scores of ethnic groups. A
charismatic personality possessed of daunt-
less determination and seemingly inex-
haustible energy, he combined spiritual
enthusiasm with practical good sense.
Saint Francis Xavier was canonized in
1622. A host of churches and educational
institutions throughout the Catholic world
bear his name and testify to his status as
one of the greatest of missionaries.
Francis Xavier, Saint (Francisco
Xavier [Javier])
(1506-52)
Spanish missionary
A younger son of a Basque noble family,
Francisco was born in the castle of Xavier in
the kingdom of N
AVARRE
shortly before it
was incorporated into C
ASTILE
. Destined for
the church, he was sent when in his early
20s to pursue priestly studies at the Univer-
sity of Paris. There he fell under the influ-
ence of I
GNATIUS
OF
L
OYOLA
. This fellow
Basque and former soldier had already
experienced a profound spiritual transfor-
mation, and the previously lukewarm
Xavier soon became an ardent convert to
his fellow student's plans. With five other
students they took solemn vows to under-
take a mission of conversion among believ-
ers and nonbelievers alike. These men
became the nucleus of the Society of Jesus.
While waiting for an opportunity to travel
to the Holy Land they were ordained in
Venice in 1537. Although Loyola would
spend the rest of his life in Rome as the first
general of the Jesuits, Xavier was soon dis-
patched to L
ISBON
, where a Portuguese
expedition to the East Indies was being
readied. During the next decade he
preached, baptized, and founded churches
in India, M
ALACCA
, the S
PICE
I
SLANDS
(pres-
Franco Bahamonde, Francisco
(1892-1975)
Spanish military leader and chief of state
Born in El Ferrol, G
ALICIA
, the descendant
of a long line of naval officers, Franco was
himself destined for a naval career. The vir-
tual destruction of the Spanish fleet in the
war with the United States (1898) led to his
entering the military academy. Between
1912 and 1926 he spent virtually all of his
active duty in M
OROCCO
, rising by rapid
promotion from lieutenant to brigadier
general (the youngest general in Europe).
During these years Franco earned a reputa-
tion for bravery under fire and strategic as
well as tactical skills. His genius for organi-
zation led to several notable victories over
the Moroccan resistance forces, and his
training of the new Foreign Legion won
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