Ignatius of Loyola, Spanish Grande and officer, founder and first general of the Jesuit Order, is one of the myth-forming politicians in world history. Ludwig Marcuse reports on the Renaissance in a clear and vivid way using the life of Ignatius of Loyola as a vehicle. The horrors of the inquisition and ideals of the Reformation once again are shown to be means to an end: gaining, expanding and retaining power.