The Illuminati (pronounced /ɪˌluːmɪˈnɑːti/) is a term used to describe several groups, both real and fictional. Historically, the name most often refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, a secret society formed on May 1, 1776, in the Electorate of Bavaria. This group aimed to fight against superstition, ignorance, religious control over public life, and misuse of power by kings and queens. In their official rules, they stated their goal was to stop those who caused harm and to manage these individuals without controlling them.
The Illuminati, along with Freemasonry and other secret groups, were banned by Charles Theodore, the ruler of Bavaria, with support from the Catholic Church, in 1784, 1785, 1787, and 1790. Later, conservative and religious critics often blamed the Illuminati for continuing to operate in secret and for influencing the French Revolution. Some famous people, including Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johann Gottfried Herder, and the Duke of Gotha and Weimar, were associated with the group.
In later years, the term "Illuminati" has been used to describe organizations claimed to be connected to the original Bavarian Illuminati, though these connections have not been proven. These groups are often accused of trying to control global events by influencing governments and businesses to gain power and create a New World Order. These ideas are central to many conspiracy theories, which portray the Illuminati as hidden figures who control important events. This image has appeared in many books, movies, TV shows, comics, video games, and music videos.
History
Adam Weishaupt (1748–1830) became a professor of Canon Law and practical philosophy at the University of Ingolstadt in 1773. He was the only professor at the university who was not a member of the clergy. The university was run by Jesuits, an order of religious men that Pope Clement XIV had officially ended in 1773. However, the Jesuits at Ingolstadt still held financial control and some power at the university, which they considered their own. They often tried to stop or discredit non-clerical staff, especially when course material included ideas they saw as liberal or Protestant. Weishaupt grew strongly opposed to the clergy and decided to spread Enlightenment ideas through a secret group of like-minded people.
He found Freemasonry too expensive and not open to his ideas, so he created his own society. This group would use a ranking system similar to Freemasonry but follow his own goals. He first called it the "Covenant of Perfectibility," but later changed the name because it sounded unusual. On May 1, 1776, Weishaupt and four students formed the group, which they named the Perfectibilists. They used secret names within the society. Weishaupt chose the name Spartacus for himself. Law students Massenhausen, Bauhof, Merz, and Sutor became Ajax, Agathon, Tiberius, and Erasmus Roterodamus, respectively. Later, Weishaupt expelled Sutor for being lazy. In April 1778, the group changed its name to the Illuminatenorden, or Order of Illuminati, after Weishaupt considered the name "Bee Order."
Massenhausen was the most active in growing the society at first. While studying in Munich, he recruited Xavier von Zwack, a former student of Weishaupt, who was then in charge of the Bavarian National Lottery. However, Massenhausen’s enthusiasm led him to recruit people who were not suitable. His unstable personal life later caused him to neglect his duties. Weishaupt gave control of the Munich group to Zwack, who discovered that Massenhausen had stolen money and intercepted letters between Weishaupt and Zwack. In 1778, Massenhausen left Bavaria for a job outside the region and no longer participated in the order. At this time, the order had 12 members.
After Massenhausen left, Zwack focused on recruiting more mature and important members. Weishaupt especially valued Hertel, a childhood friend and a canon (a high-ranking church official) at the Munich Frauenkirche. By the end of summer 1778, the order had 27 members (including Massenhausen) in five groups: Munich (Athens), Ingolstadt (Eleusis), Ravensberg (Sparta), Freysingen (Thebes), and Eichstaedt.
During this early period, the order had three levels: Novice, Minerval, and Illuminated Minerval. Only the Minerval level involved a ceremony where members were given secret signs and passwords. A system of spying kept Weishaupt informed about his members’ activities. His favorites joined a ruling council called the Areopagus. Some novices were allowed to recruit others, becoming Insinuants. The order sought Christians of good character but excluded Jews, pagans, women, monks, and members of other secret societies. Preferred recruits were wealthy, willing to learn, and aged 18 to 30.
Weishaupt tried to stop some members from joining Freemasonry but later joined the older group to gain ideas for his own rituals. He was admitted to a Freemason lodge called "Prudence" in February 1777. However, the Freemasons’ higher degrees did not interest him. In 1778, a priest named Abbé Marotti told Zwack that the secrets of Freemasonry were tied to older religious knowledge. Zwack convinced Weishaupt to work with Freemasonry and set up their own lodge. In December 1778, the order added the first three Freemason degrees as a secondary goal.
A permit was obtained from the Grand Lodge of Prussia called the Royal York for Friendship. The new lodge was named "Theodore of the Good Council" to honor Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria. It was founded in Munich on March 21, 1779, and quickly filled with Illuminati members. The first leader, Radl, left to return to Baden, and by July 1779, Weishaupt’s order controlled the lodge.
Next, the order sought independence from its Grand Lodge. By forming ties with a lodge in Frankfurt affiliated with the Premier Grand Lodge of England, the Munich lodge became independent and could create its own lodges. This effort also brought Adolph Freiherr Knigge into the order.
Knigge was recruited in late 1780 at a meeting of the Rite of Strict Observance by Costanzo Marchese di Costanzo, a Bavarian army captain and Freemason. Knigge, still in his twenties, had already reached the highest ranks in his order and had plans to reform it. When Costanzo told him about the Illuminati, Knigge became interested. He and three friends wanted to learn more about the order, and Costanzo showed them materials about the Minerval grade. The teaching materials included "liberal" literature banned in Bavaria but common in Protestant German states. Knigge’s friends lost interest, but Knigge continued. In November 1780, Weishaupt wrote to Knigge, who was recruited because of his connections in Freemasonry. Knigge was drawn to the order’s goals of education and protecting people from tyranny. Weishaupt supported Knigge’s interest in alchemy and "higher sciences." Knigge later shared his ideas for reforming Freemasonry with Weishaupt.
Weishaupt gave Knigge the task of recruiting new members before he could join the order’s higher levels. Knigge agreed but wanted to choose where he recruited. Many Freemasons were attracted to Knigge’s description of the new order and joined the Minerval grade of the Illuminati. At first, Knigge believed in the "Most Serene Superiors" Weishaupt claimed to serve. However, Knigge’s inability to explain the higher degrees became a problem. Weishaupt delayed
Barruel and Robison
Between 1797 and 1798, Augustin Barruel wrote a book called Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism. John Robison also wrote a book titled Proofs of a Conspiracy. Both books claimed that the Illuminati had survived and were part of a secret international plan. They also said the Illuminati were behind the French Revolution. These books became very popular, leading to many reprints and other books written about the same topic. One example is Proofs of the Real Existence, and Dangerous Tendency, Of Illuminism by Reverend Seth Payson, published in 1802. Some people criticized these ideas, such as Jean-Joseph Mounier, who wrote On the Influence Attributed to Philosophers, Free-Masons, and to the Illuminati on the Revolution of France.
Barruel, a Jesuit who was forced to leave France, used some ideas from Robison to spread a conspiracy theory. He claimed that Jews, Freemasons, and the Illuminati wanted to destroy all monarchies and the Vatican to create a World Republic. However, Barruel did not blame all Freemasons and considered himself one. He also accused the Knights Templar of secretly surviving and infiltrating Freemasonry to harm Christianity.
At first, Barruel wanted to show that Jews were involved in a global conspiracy, which was a new idea because most people believed Jews were too weak to influence world events. Later, Barruel stopped publishing his book, fearing it might cause violence against Jews.
The books by Robison and Barruel reached the United States and New England. Reverend Jedidiah Morse, an orthodox Congregational minister and geographer, gave sermons against the Illuminati. One of the first American accounts of the Illuminati was Morse’s Fast Day sermon on May 9, 1798. Morse learned about Robison’s book through a letter from Reverend John Erskine of Edinburgh. Copies of Robison’s book arrived in the U.S. by ship in March 1798. Other writers, like Timothy Dwight, also criticized the Illuminati.
Sermons about the Illuminati were followed by newspaper articles, which became part of political debates before the 1800 U.S. presidential election. This fear also influenced the rise of gothic literature in the U.S. Two novels from the time, Ormond; or, The Secret Witness (1799) and Julia, and the Illuminated Baron (1800), mention the Illuminati crisis. Some scholars also link the fear of the Illuminati to worries about immigration from the Caribbean and possible slave rebellions. Fear of the Illuminati decreased in the early 1800s but returned in the Anti-Masonic movement of the 1820s and 1830s.
Modern Illuminati
Some modern and current groups say they are connected to the original Bavarian Illuminati and use the name "Illuminati" in their titles. Some of these groups use different versions of the name, such as "The Illuminati Order," while others, like Ordo Templi Orientis, include titles such as "Epopt" or "Perfect Pontiff of the Illuminati" in their organizational ranks. However, there is no proof that these groups are truly linked to the historic Illuminati. These groups have not gained significant political power or influence. Instead, most of them openly share unverified claims about their connection to the Bavarian Illuminati to attract new members.
Some modern researchers say that although these groups are not historically connected to the Bavarian Illuminati, they often use parts of its known structure and symbols in their own organizations.
Legacy
The original Illuminati group was stopped by authorities in Bavaria. Later actions and plans described by Barruel and Robison should be seen as made up by these writers. However, many modern conspiracy theories suggest that a secret society called the Illuminati controls and influences world events. Some events that conspiracy theorists incorrectly say the Illuminati planned include the French Revolution, the 1800 United States presidential election, and the assassination of John F. Kennedy.