"What was hidden shall be revealed. What was forgotten shall be remembered."
On the night of May 1st, 1776, a flame was lit in the darkness of Bavaria that would never be extinguished. What began as a gathering of five men would become the most feared and misunderstood secret society in human history.
Adam Weishaupt, a 28-year-old professor of Canon Law at the University of Ingolstadt, founds the Order of the Illuminati with five students. The original name: "Bund der Perfektibilisten" — the Covenant of Perfectibility.
The founder infiltrates a Masonic lodge in Munich to study their organizational structure and recruit members. The Illuminati would soon adopt similar hierarchical systems.
Adolph Freiherr Knigge, a prominent diplomat and Freemason, joins the Order. His connections accelerate recruitment across German aristocracy and intellectual circles. Membership swells to thousands.
The Illuminati reach their zenith with an estimated 2,000-3,000 members including nobles, politicians, doctors, lawyers, and intellectuals. Lodges operate across Bavaria, Austria, and beyond.
Disputes between Weishaupt and Knigge fracture the leadership. Knigge departs, but not before establishing the Order's elaborate degree system and rituals.
Karl Theodor, Elector of Bavaria, issues an edict banning all secret societies. The Illuminati continue operating in the shadows.
A second, more severe edict specifically targets the Illuminati by name. Membership becomes punishable by death. Weishaupt flees Bavaria.
Police raid the homes of suspected members. The Order's secret documents, rituals, and membership lists are seized and published by the Bavarian government, exposing their methods to the world.
Though officially disbanded, conspiracy theorists have blamed the Illuminati for the French Revolution, world wars, and global events ever since. The name became synonymous with shadowy control...
Born in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Weishaupt was orphaned at age five and raised by his godfather, Baron Johann Adam Ickstatt. He became the first lay professor of Canon Law at the University of Ingolstadt, previously held only by clergy.
Frustrated by Jesuit influence in education and inspired by Enlightenment ideals, he created the Illuminati to spread rationalism and oppose religious and political tyranny. After the Order's suppression, he spent his remaining years in exile in Gotha under the protection of Duke Ernest II.
A German nobleman, author, and Freemason who dramatically expanded the Illuminati's influence after joining in 1780. His social connections and organizational genius transformed a small Bavarian society into a continental network.
Knigge developed the Order's elaborate degree system and rituals that gave it mystical appeal. Though he later split from Weishaupt over philosophical differences, his contributions cemented the Illuminati's legendary status.
The Order was organized into three classes, each with increasing levels of knowledge and responsibility.
Novice → Minerval → Illuminatus Minor
Entry-level members were carefully observed and tested before advancing. They studied philosophy and self-improvement while knowing little of the Order's true structure.
Apprentice → Fellow Craft → Master → Illuminatus Major → Illuminatus Dirigens
Intermediate degrees borrowed from Freemasonry. Members learned the Order's organization and began taking leadership roles in local cells.
Priest → Regent → Magus → Rex
The highest degrees were reserved for the most trusted members. The innermost circle controlled strategy and knew the Order's ultimate objectives.
Explore the sacred symbols and hidden teachings of the Brotherhood.