A Window of Opportunity

Jesuit Missionary Strategy, China, and European Power Politics, 1685–1704

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between international power politics and the strategy of the Jesuit Order in both local and global contexts, focusing on the period from 1685 to 1704. It argues that during these years a distinct window of opportunity emerged in which the Jesuit Order, operating amid limited and often fragmented coordination with the Holy See, and benefiting from short-term and asymmetrical support from major European powers – notably France, the Habsburg Monarchy, the Polish– Lithuanian Commonwealth, and Russia – sought to develop a missionary strategy centred on the establishment of a land route linking Europe with China. While only some of these powers were formally associated through the Holy League, their overlapping geopolitical interests temporarily converged with Jesuit ambitions. Central to this strategy were Russia’s increasing openness to the West and the favourable disposition of the Kangxi Emperor towards Christianity, which together appeared to create unprecedented conditions for sustained transcontinental engagement between China and Europe.