David Miscavige was raised in the world of Scientology. Born in Philadelphia in 1960, he was plagued with allergies and asthma, and his father attempted to use Scientology to help his ailing son. As a result, Miscavige was a Scientologist almost from birth. He grew up at the Scientologist hub of Saint Hill in England and was auditing others by the time he was twelve years old. As a teenager, Miscavige was one of Hubbard's top Messengers and he soon rose up the ranks. Miscavige often placed himself in positions where power would naturally come his way, and he was good at manipulating situations so that he was always in control. When Hubbard effectively went into hiding and began fearing traitors, Miscavige naturally took control and began ousting anyone who could get in his way of control.