
They made constant attempts to frustrate and discredit non-clerical staff, especially when course material contained anything they regarded as liberal or Protestant. The Jesuits of Ingolstadt, however, still retained the purse strings and some power at the university, which they continued to regard as their own.

He was the only non-clerical professor at an institution run by Jesuits, whose order Pope Clement XIV had dissolved in 1773. History Origins The Owl of Minerva perched on a book was an emblem used by the Bavarian Illuminati in their "Minerval" degree.Īdam Weishaupt (1748–1830) became professor of Canon Law and practical philosophy at the University of Ingolstadt in 1773. This view of the Illuminati has found its way into popular culture, appearing in dozens of novels, films, television shows, comics, video games and music videos. Central to some of the more widely known and elaborate conspiracy theories, the Illuminati are depicted as lurking in the shadows and pulling the strings and levers of power. These organisations have often been accused of conspiring to control world affairs, by masterminding events and planting agents in governments and corporations, in order to gain political power and influence and to establish a New World Order. In subsequent use, "Illuminati" has been used when referring to various organisations which are alleged to be a continuation of the original Bavarian Illuminati (though these links have not been substantiated). It attracted literary men such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Johann Gottfried Herder and the reigning Duke of Gotha and of Weimar. During subsequent years, the group was generally vilified by conservative and religious critics who claimed that the Illuminati continued underground and were responsible for the French Revolution. "The order of the day," they wrote in their general statutes, "is to put an end to the machinations of the purveyors of injustice, to control them without dominating them." The Illuminati-along with Freemasonry and other secret societies-were outlawed through edict by Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria, with the encouragement of the Catholic Church, in 1784, 1785, 17. The society's stated goals were to oppose superstition, obscurantism, religious influence over public life, and abuses of state power. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on in Bavaria, today part of Germany. The Illuminati ( / ɪ ˌ l uː m ɪ ˈ n ɑː t i/ plural of Latin illuminatus, 'enlightened') is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. For other uses, see Illuminati (disambiguation).Īdam Weishaupt (1748–1830), founder of the Illuminati For the conspiracy theory, see New World Order (conspiracy theory). References to the secret society are found in a wide variety of media, from video games to comic books to, of course, Kanye West’s film.Īre there other popular but vague references (like the Illuminati) you’d like us to clarify? Let us know, and the so-called secret will be revealed.This article is about the secret society. The Illuminati has tickled the imagination of popular culture. For an infamously shoddy document, the Protocols have had remarkable staying power and often lurk in the shadows of conspiracy theories of all colors. These conspiracy thoughts have some unfortunate roots, in the anti-Semitic “Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” a 20th century hoax from Russia that claimed to be evidence of a conspiracy of Jews to rule the world. This organization allegedly controls both governments and multinational corporations.

In modern times, the term Illuminati refers to a conspiratorial organization that is said to mastermind current world affairs. This notion itself is worthy of Dan Brown’s imagination.

The group was made up of “freethinkers.” The precise nature of the organization’s activities is a mystery, but some writers believe that the Illuminati (or the Perfectibilists, as they preferred to be called) were the puppeteers behind the French Revolution. Let’s dispense with the Da Vinci Code version of the group, and move on to reality: The Bavarian Illuminati, a secret society that was founded in 1776, coalesced at the University of Ingolstadt. The name derives from the Latin illuminatur, which means “enlightened.” The Illuminati refers to several different groups. Is it connected to supposed devil worship? What does the word signify?

West expressed confusion about the Illuminati. A few years back, after the release of his short film “Runaway,” rap impresario Kanye West found himself busy quashing rumors that he practices devil worship and is part of the notorious Illuminati. The gossip was sparked by references in “Runaway” to that elusive organization.
