Francis Xavier, companion of Ignatius Loyola and the first missionary of the Counter-Reformation, sets sail from Lisbon

Francis Xavier reaches Goa, at the start of the great mission to the east that will last the nine years until his death

The first Jesuit missionaries arrive in England, with Edmund Campion among their number

The Jesuit Matteo Ricci arrives in China, and becomes the first western student of Chinese civilization

An edict is passed expelling Jesuit missionaries from Japan, and ordering their converts to revert to Buddhism

The Jesuits establish a mission at Sault Sainte Marie which becomes the starting point for French exploration south of the Great Lakes

The Portuguese expel the Jesuits from Brazil, beginning a widespread reaction against the order in Catholic Europe

Franciscan missionary Junipero Serra begins work at San Diego de Cala, the first of his nine California missions

Responding to pressure from the Catholic monarchs of Europe, Clement XIV abolishes the Jesuit Order

The Jesuit Order is restored by Pius VII on his return to Rome