Ignatius of Loyola was born in 1491 in the Basque region of Spain to a noble family as the last of 13 children. In his early life, he was a soldier and gambler who loved drinking and women. In 1521, while defending the city of Pamplona, Ignatius suffered a leg injury that left him with a limp. During his recovery, he read about the lives of Christ and the saints, which inspired him to dedicate his life to serving God as a "Soldier of Christ".