So, what do we know about the Illuminati? Back in 1776, a secular college professor in Bavaria, Germany was feeling ostracized by his Jesuit colleagues, and decided to start a society to spread Enlightenment era ideas. This was an attempt to shift the pro monarchy, Catholic supremacy movement into a rational, scientific, and somewhat more secular movement. Since knowledge of this group would have had serious consequences for the professor, he gave himself and other members nicknames and shrouded the group in secret rituals and symbols. The Order of the Illuminati specifically excluded Jews, Pagans, women, and members of other religions or cults.
After some time, the Illuminati, looking to expand their membership base, joined forces with the longstanding Freemasons group. The Freemasons were an intricate fraternal organization of laborers seemingly mysterious for their religious-like use of symbols and ceremonies. After securing their own Freemason Lodge, the higher order Illuminati members attempted to recruit from the higher order Freemasons. However, as a newer sect with different allegiances, they commanded less respect than existing groups. Still, despite significant infighting over the origins of various rituals, political and social focus, and other petty differences, the Illuminati managed to recruit between 650 and 2,500 members in Bavaria, at their height around 1784.
Around this time, an obscure Christian cult, known as RōzekrooSHənism [Rosicrucianism], infiltrated the Illuminati. They were very religious and opposed the idea of an enlightened, philosophical, scientific, rational movement. After infighting and further attacks by outside groups, as well as too high a membership to keep the Order secret, knowledge of the group got out. Many members were exposed, and a number actually held fairly high positions of power. After being accused of publishing anti-religious literature, the Bavarian government banned all secret societies, and seized and published a large number of important documents from the Illuminati’s founders. This effectively ended the existence of the group, and their original founder fled Germany.
In the few years after the end of the Bavarian Illuminati, a number of books were written, purporting that not only did the Illuminati still exist in secret, but that they were conspiratorially responsible for many international events, including the French Revolution. These books gained significant popularity, and the ideas therein have survived into modern times. In recent years, the idea of a resurgent, or surviving Illuminati order that is in control of world events through underlying iconography and ritualism has been a popular conspiracy theory.
However, there is literally no evidence of the existence of this group, nor any connection between current groups and the Bavarian Illuminati. Still… isn’t that exactly what they’d want you to think?
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