Francis Xavier was a 16th-century Navarrese cleric and a co-founder of the Society of Jesus. After joining Ignatius of Loyola and several other students in Paris to take vows of poverty and chastity, he became a prominent missionary representing the Portuguese Empire. He traveled extensively across Asia, conducting evangelization efforts in India and leading the first Christian mission to Japan. Known by several titles, including the Apostle of the Indies, he died on Shangchuan Island while attempting to reach China.