Adam Weishaupt: Illuminati

Adam Weishaupt was a German philosopher and professor who founded the quintessential 'Order of the Illuminati,' which is considered the world’s most influential secret society. It is believed it still exists. Orphaned at a young age, Adam was raised by his godfather, Johann Adam Freiherr von Ickstatt, an educator. Adam was a voracious reader. His habit of reading later helped him shape the founding ideologies of the 'Illuminati.' Adam, who led a peaceful life as an ecclesiastical law professor at the 'University of Ingolstadt,' was eventually disturbed by the governing laws back then. His anguish became the inspiration behind the formation of the 'Illuminati,' which strongly opposed religious influences on society and allowed educated Europeans and Americans to question the conservative theories about science, religion, and, politics. The secret society was initially meant only for Adam’s students, but it eventually recruited several high-profile personalities from Bavaria. As the 'Illuminati' strengthened its roots, it underwent several internal conflicts and was subjected to a lot of external opposition. A scandal in 1784 accused Adam of being at the heart of a conspiracy and led him to flee Bavaria, thereby starting the end of the 'Illuminati.’ He lived under the protection of a local duke, and that phase saw many of Adam's literary works being published. In most of his works, Adam had defended himself and justified his ideologies. To date the 'Illuminati' remains a mystery, as to some, it is the greatest-ever conspiracy theory in the world, while others consider it a medium to begin a religion-free world. Adam’s conspiracy-fueling theories have inspired many bestselling novels and blockbuster films. Adam was born Johann Adam Weishaupt, on February 6, 1748, in Ingolstadt, located in the Electorate of Bavaria (part of modern-day Germany). He was just 5 when he lost his father, Johann Georg Weishaupt, a law professor at the 'University of Ingolstadt.' Adam belonged to a Jewish-converted-Christian line of descendants. Adam became a canon law professor at the 'University of Ingolstadt.' He was at peace with his conventional career until he began advocating his ideas in 1784, which were heavily opposed by the Bavarian state. He grew up with a restless mind but was an avid reader. He read all the French Enlightenment philosophers of the time. However, he was primarily impressed by Johann Georg Heinrich Feder’s philosophies on empiricism. Adam was satisfied to know that there were others who opposed the hereditary monarchy and the Roman Catholic church that, according to him, suppressed the freedom of thought. Adam favored science and rational thinking over feelings and faith. Adam got involved with several 'Freemasons' and eventually realized that Bavaria lacked a social club or organization that strived toward developing the state beyond just a feudal backwater. The existing self-serving German secret societies disappointed him, and he was convinced that the existing religious ideologies were no longer effective in governing modern societies. Hence, Adam decided to form a variation to “illumination,” a set of radical ideas. Adam founded the 'Illuminati' in the evening of May 1, 1776, in a forest near the city of Ingolstadt. The Enlightenment-era secret society was created to oppose superstition, obscurantism, religious influence over public life, and abuses of the irrational state power. The order’s membership was divided into three levels: the novices, the minervals, and the illuminated minervals. In 1777, Adam was introduced to the ‘Masonic lodge’ 'Theodor zum guten Rath,' in Munich, where his idea of "illumination,” or “enlightening the understanding by the sun of reason, which will dispel the clouds of superstition and of prejudice," was rejected by many. Therefore, he used ‘Freemasonry’ to create a quasi-Masonic society. Adam recruited German writer Adolph Freiherr Knigge from Lower Saxony. Together, they presented a simple Masonry framework of ideologies, which they used to expand the secret organization. Each 'Illuminati' member had a symbolic secret pseudonym inspired by classical antiquity. Adam was ''Spartacus,'' while Knigge was ''Philo,'' the Alexandrian philosopher. Unfortunately, Adam’s radical rationalism faced heavy opposition. With the growth of the order, he and Knigge became so obsessed with their ideologies that they diverted from their prime goals of enlightenment. Adam’s ideas have influenced several popular fictional works, such as Dan Brown’s 'Angels & Demons' and Umberto Eco’s 'Foucault’s Pendulum.' Damian Chapa directed and acted in the film 'Adam Weishaupt: The Illuminati.' Adam died on November 18, 1830, in Gotha, Germany. The cause of his death is unknown. He was buried next to his son Wilhelm.