The Illuminati—Did They Really Exist?

They are said to be the masterminds behind terrorist attacks, to influence the economy, and to trigger entire wars: the Illuminati. What is true and what is fiction? Did they even exist?

There were groups around the world that called themselves “Enlightened Ones.” The secret society known today as the Illuminati, surprisingly, has its roots in Germany. Canon lawyer Adam Weishaupt is considered the founder of the secret society. The group was founded on May 1, 1776, in Ingolstadt, Bavaria. The Illuminati Hall was located at what is now Theresienstraße 23. Members met there regularly between 1782 and 1785.

At the time, however, no one really understood the significance of what was supposedly the Illuminati’s most important symbol. The“All-Seeing Eye”wasn’t associated with the Illuminati until much later. It actually belongs to the Freemasons. The true symbol of the Illuminati is Minerva—an owl, the Roman goddess of wisdom.

Freemasons and the Illuminati are not the same thing.

People often confuse the two groups. Yet the differences are clear. The Freemasons were founded as early as the 16th century. Their goal was to openlypromote honor and chivalryamong their members. The Illuminati are said to be highly intelligent and to be secretly working toward a new world order.

There is, however, a connection between the groups. The founder of the Illuminati was a member of the Freemasons. He drew inspiration from the order to establish his own organization. Weishaupt wanted to advance the Enlightenment with the “Perfektibilists,” as the group also called itself. Membership grew steadily. After just four years, there were about 60 members, including well-known figures such as Baron von Knigge and Goethe.

They used a different calendar system.

The secret society truly lived up to its name. Most members had absolutely no idea who else belonged to the Illuminati. Correspondence with members of other local chapters was conducted exclusively anonymously. They addressed one another by code names; Weishaupt was “Spartacus,” and Knigge was addressed as “Philo.” Places were also coded in this way. If a document mentioned Athens, it actually meant Munich. But that wasn’t all: even the year was based on a separate calendar. A secret Persian calendar was used, which began with the year 632.

Contrary to claims made in books and movies, the Illuminati have no connection whatsoever to the “All-Seeing Eye” or the number 23. Ambigrams also played no role in the organization. In terms of the secret society’s structure, Weishaupt modeled it after the Freemasons. Each subcategory had its own name, as well as its own secrets and initiation rituals.

After the candidate had taken the oath of “eternal silence in unbreakable loyalty and obedience to all superiors and to the statutes of the Order,” he first entered the“Nursery.” Here, candidates were classified as “Novices,” “Minervals,” and “Illuminatus minor” (= those with lesser enlightenment). After some time, one advanced to the Mason class and finally to the Mystery class.

Don't count anyone out just yet.

Politically speaking, however, they did exert considerable influence despite their relatively small membership. Until 1784, the Bavarian committee for book censorship was composed largely of Illuminati members. As a result, Enlightenment writings were promoted, while religious and clerical works were banned. At the height of the Order’s existence, however, its membership of about 1,500 was not sufficient to establish a new world order.

The group was by no means active only in Germany. The Illuminati were also active in Vienna. Here, many members of the Masonic lodge “Zur wahren Eintracht” were active as Illuminati. In 1782, branches were established in Innsbruck and Salzburg. But the secret society could also be found in the Czech cities of Prague, Brno, and Troppau.

In Germany, the organization was eventually banned in 1784/1785 on the grounds that it posed a threat to the state. Its members lost their jobs, and some were even imprisoned. Although there were still a few smaller offshoots outside of Bavaria, their numbers were negligible. The ban in Germany was accompanied by the organization’s decline in Austria as well.

In August 1787, recruiting new members into the Illuminati was even made a capital offense. Shortly thereafter, a theory began to circulate that the French Revolution had been instigated by the secret society. That was the beginning of a whole series of alleged schemes by the “Enlightened Ones.”

The Illuminati's influence extends far and wide—allegedly.

They are said to be responsible for a whole series of events. For example, in addition to influencing the founding of the United States, the secret society is also credited with the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Furthermore, they are said to still exert influence over politics and stock market prices (Wall Street) today.

All these conspiracy theories, however, were made possible only by a social experiment conducted by a pair of authors in the 1960s. Robert Anton Wilson and Kerry Thronley wrote letters to the editor of various magazines (including *Playboy*). Writing under pseudonyms, they put all sorts of conspiracy theories into circulation—including the idea that the Illuminati were pulling the strings behind various current events. In doing so, they brought the group back into the public eye.

Later , together with Robert Shea , they published the novel trilogy *Illuminatus!*. The satirical stories are peppered with fictional conspiracy theories revolving around the Bavarian secret society. The books, published in the 1970s, even inspired a stage play. The supposed Illuminati number 23 also has its origins in these works.

Thanks to social media and various celebrities, the Illuminati cult lives on even more than 300 years after its demise. Headlines such as “Jay Z and Beyoncé Are Members of the Illuminati” fuel conspiracy theories surrounding the secret society. Thus, a Bavarian organization that existed for a mere ten years has become a global phenomenon that continues to this day.