Johann Adam Weishaupt (6 February 1748 – 18 November 1830) was a German philosopher and former Jesuit who earned a law degree. He worked as a professor of civil law and later taught canon law. He was also the founder of the Bavarian Illuminati.

Early life

Adam Weishaupt was born on February 6, 1748, in Ingolstadt, which was part of the Electorate of Bavaria. His father, Johann Georg Weishaupt, was born in 1717 and died in 1753 when Adam was five years old. After his father’s death, Adam was guided by his godfather, Johann Adam von Ickstatt. Like Adam’s father, Ickstatt was a professor of law at the University of Ingolstadt. Ickstatt supported the ideas of Christian Wolff and the Enlightenment, and he taught Adam to use reason to understand the world. Adam began his education at age seven in a school run by the Jesuits. He later attended the University of Ingolstadt and earned a law degree in 1768 at age 20. In 1772, at age 24, Adam became a professor of law after converting to Protestantism. The next year, he married Afra Sausenhofer of Eichstätt.

In 1773, Pope Clement XIV banned the Society of Jesus, which led to changes in Adam’s career. He then became a professor of canon law, a role previously held only by Jesuits. In 1775, Adam met Johann Georg Heinrich Feder, a professor at the University of Göttingen, who taught a philosophy based on observation and experience. Both Feder and Adam later opposed the ideas of Kantian idealism.

Foundation of the Illuminati

On May 1, 1776, Johann Adam Weishaupt created the "Illuminati" in Bavaria. The term "Illuminati" originally meant a group of highly educated and wise people in society. The word comes from the Latin "illuminatus," which means "enlightened." Weishaupt also used the name "Brother Spartacus" within the group. Different sources describe the group’s goals differently. For example, the Catholic Encyclopedia (1910) says the group was not equal or democratic inside, but aimed to spread ideas about fairness and freedom. Other sources, like Collier's, say the group wanted to oppose religion and support reason instead. The Illuminati’s goal was to free people from religious control and challenge unfair governments.

The group operated as a complex system of secret groups that reported to leaders they did not know. This structure was later used by other organizations.

In 1777, Weishaupt joined a Freemason group called "Theodor zum guten Rath" in Munich. His plan to "enlighten people by using reason to remove superstition and bias" was considered a new and controversial idea. He used Freemasonry to recruit members for his group, which aimed to improve human behavior through education to create a society free from government and religion. Weishaupt and Adolph Freiherr Knigge, who helped design the group’s rituals, expanded the secret organization.

Unlike Immanuel Kant’s idea that Enlightenment meant people learning to use their own reason without help, the Illuminati required members to follow strict rules about what they read and thought. Wolfgang Riedel noted that this approach contradicted Kant’s belief in personal freedom through reason.

Weishaupt’s strict ideas and use of complex language made it hard for the group to succeed. In 1784, documents found by the government were seen as threatening, leading Bavaria’s ruler, Karl Theodor, to ban the group. Weishaupt lost his job at the University of Ingolstadt and left Bavaria.

Activities in exile

He received help from Duke Ernest II of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1745–1804) and lived in Gotha, where he wrote several books about illuminism. These works included A Complete History of the Persecutions of the Illuminati in Bavaria (1785), A Picture of Illuminism (1786), An Apology for the Illuminati (1786), and An Improved System of Illuminism (1787). Adam Weishaupt died in Gotha on November 18, 1830. At the time of his death, he was survived by his second wife, Anna Maria (née Sausenhofer), and his children: Nanette, Charlotte, Ernst, Karl, Eduard, and Alfred. His body was buried next to his son Wilhelm, who had died earlier (in 1802), at Friedhof II der Sophiengemeinde Berlin, a cemetery.

After Weishaupt’s Order of Illuminati was banned and its members were forced to leave, the group did not leave any lasting influence. Even its former members went on to live very different lives and did not continue to follow the same ideas.

Assessment of character and intentions

Weishaupt's character and goals have been seen in different ways by various people. Some, like Augustin Barruel, believed his aims were harmful. Barruel wrote that Weishaupt wanted "Equality and Liberty, together with the most absolute independence, to replace all rights and all property," but he saw this as more dangerous than helpful. John Robison also had a negative view, calling Weishaupt a "human devil" and believing his mission was to cause harm and destruction. Others, such as Thomas Jefferson, had a more positive opinion. Jefferson wrote to James Madison that Barruel's ideas were "the ravings of a Bedlamite" and described Weishaupt as an "enthusiastic Philanthropist" who believed humans could keep improving without end. Jefferson also thought Weishaupt believed Jesus Christ's goal was to "reinstate natural religion" and teach people to govern themselves through moral teachings.

To defend himself, Weishaupt wrote a document titled Kurze Rechtfertigung meiner Absichten (A Brief Justification of My Intentions) in 1787. Author Tony Page comments:

Works

• (1775) A political essay on the decline of academies.
• (1786) A philosophical speech on the fears of death – translated into French as Discours Philosophique sur les Frayeurs de la Mort (1788). Available on Gallica.
• (1786) A discussion on materialism and idealism. Published in Torino.
• (1788) A history of the improvement of the human race.
• (1788) An examination of the reasons and certainty of human knowledge.
• (1788) An analysis of Kant’s ideas and appearances.
• (1788) Doubts about Kant’s concepts of time and space.
• (1793) A discussion on truth and moral perfection.
• (1794) A study on the causes and foundations of all things.
• (1794) An exploration of self-awareness, its challenges, and benefits.
• (1797) A discussion on purposes or final causes.
• (1802) An analysis of obstacles to Bavarian industry and population growth.
• (1804) The Lamp of Diogenes.
• (1817) A study on state spending and burdens. Available on Google Books.
• (1818) A discussion on the tax system.

• (1786) Apology of the Illuminati. ISBN 978-3-7448-1853-7.
• (1786) A complete history of the persecution of the Illuminati in Bavaria.
• (1786) A description of the Illuminati.
• (1787) An introduction to my apology.
• (1787) Some original writings of the Illuminati order.
• (1787) Additional original writings.
• (1787) A short defense of my intentions.
• (1787) A supplement to the defense of my intentions.
• (1787) An apology for suffering and evil.
• (1787) The improved system of the Illuminati.
• (1788) The True Illuminati, or the Authentic, Unaltered Rituals of the Illuminati.
• (1795) Pythagoras, or Reflections on the Secret Art of World and Government.

• (2008) Diogenes’ Lamp, or an Examination of Our Present Day Morality and Enlightenment, translated by Amelia Gill. Published by The Masonic Book Club. Available on the Internet Archive.
• (2015) The Secret School of Wisdom: The Authentic Rituals and Doctrines of the Illuminati, translated by Jeva Singh-Anand. Edited by Josef Wäges and Reinhard Markner. Published by Lewis Masonic, London. 447 pages. ISBN 978-0853184935.
• (2014) A Brief Justification of My Intentions: Casting Light on the Latest Original Writings, translated by Tony Page. Published by Justice Publications. Available on Amazon Kindle.
• (2014) Supplement to the Justification of My Intentions, translated by Tony Page. Published by Justice Publications. Available on Amazon Kindle.
• (2025) Apology of the Illuminati, translated by Kane Kanerva. 192 pages.