Who Were The Real Illuminati? | Unveiled

Who Were The Real Illuminati?

Let us enter the murky world of secret rituals, codenames, and handshakes. Throughout history, there have been various alleged (and some confirmed) secret societies, with a range of different purposes. Some of the earliest known were alternative religions in ancient Egypt and Greece. Perhaps the most well known example of all, though, is the mythical Illuminati. They’re an unrivaled source of conspiracy today, but many don’t know about the true group that existed hundreds of years ago.

This is Unveiled, and today we’re answering the extraordinary question; who were the real Illuminati?

Secret societies are usually secret for a reason - some good, and some not so good. Much of the mysteriousness and exclusiveness of many, for example, can be explained by the oppressive laws around at the time of their formation. Secret organizations flourished in the 18th and 19th century, for instance, during a period when religious and political discourse against those in power was strictly prohibited. As such, while many of these groups may have variously negative reputations in the modern world due to their secrecy, in some cases it was within these groups that democracy came about. Influential figures like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin are said to have been in secret societies at one point or another. The Free and Accepted Masons, or Freemasons, is now the largest secret society in the world. Other lesser known groups that still exist today are The Grand Orange Lodge and The Knights of Pythias. Probably none, however, are quite as famous as the supposedly all-powerful Illuminati.

But the Illuminati conspiracy theories of today are often a far cry from the roots of an organization that at one time actually existed. The modern Illuminati is supposedly capable of controlling world affairs from the shadows, pulling on the strings of their human puppets in order to steer the world in any direction they want. Many powerful and wealthy people are supposedly members, including world leaders and A-list celebrities. The Eye of Providence symbol is typically associated - an open eye in the middle of a triangle - which was originally a symbol for God and christianity. The purported goal of the Illuminati today is to overthrow society, to create a New World Order. But, again, this authoritarian version of the Illuminati is chiefly a conspiracy theory. There’s little (or no) evidence for its genuine existence. The real Illuminati wasn’t anywhere near as cynical or apparently hell-bent on world domination. In fact, they craved equality.

In reality, there has been more than one group actively calling themselves the Illuminati in the past. That’s because the word illuminati is not a unique one; it’s simply the plural form of the latin term “Illuminatus,” which means enlightened. As such, the real groups of the past tended to use this term in reference to their having had some sort of divine awakening… or of having achieved a heightened ability to think. One group, for example, is the mystical organization from the 15th and 16th centuries called the Alumbrados, which is the Spanish term for Illuminati or enlightenment. Leaders claimed to be able to talk with Jesus and other religious icons, although dedicated worship wasn’t at the center of their cause. The Alumbrados had a mission to help other people become enlightened in the same way that they were… and they claimed that the way to do that was via prayer, but in quite a casual sense. This strategy would also eventually lead to their downfall, however. Alumbrados belief was that only prayer was needed and that sermons, mass, and charity weren’t necessary… and this obviously didn’t sit well with the established church. Many members were subsequently caught or exiled by the authorities, and some fell victim to the Spanish Inquisition. The group just about managed to survive and to spread some of its ideas into France and other countries, but the shunning by the church ultimately proved fatal… and they finally disappeared in the late 1700s. Today, we can consider this an example of one of the earliest groups related to the modern Illuminati, although it isn’t the one that’s most often linked.

The society most closely tied to modern ideas is the Bavarian Illuminati, which was established in 1776 and created by the German Philosopher Adam Weishaupt. The members of the Bavarian group originally called themselves the “Perfectibilists,” but later changed their name. Their goal was an honorable one; they saw that wider society was controlled by those in power so that the common citizen was kept down. The Bavarian mission, then, was also to spread enlightenment, but specifically to the common people… in an effort to eventually overthrow their unfair rulers. This was a time when science and technological advancement was variously being held back by the church… so the original Illuminati desired to get rid of these establishments, to better the world. They were firmly anti-establishment rather than pro-establishment as today’s conspiracy Illuminati is.

Bavarian members were initially recruited from existing Freemason Lodges, as it's said that the Illuminati tactically infiltrated the Freemasons early on. Indeed, this strategy is a common one in tales of Illuminati rise. Instead of by force, the Illuminati acted by infiltrating other organizations, gaining power within them, and then manipulating things in their favor. As they grew, they implemented a ranking system within their own group, with different designations such as Novice, Ordinary, and Scottish Knight. There was also a premier class at the very top, which included the Priest, Magus, and King. Despite their seemingly noble goals, however, the original Illuminati were also very secretive about their business. They would randomly designate cities to meet in, while each member had a code name… with the names often referring back to ancient legend. And everyone communicated in coded messages that required a cipher to unravel. Famous figures who are thought to have been members in the Bavarian group include the likes of the writer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and the astronomer Johann Bode.

According to most historical records, the Bavarian Illuminati didn’t exist for very long at all… and actually disbanded after less than a decade, in 1785, in response to local governments outlawing all secret societies. No other mention of the group reliably exists past that date, meaning they either really did shut down or they went into hiding. And here’s where the lines between history and conspiracy blur. Conspiracy theorists hold that the Illuminati - the real Illuminati - never actually died and have instead been busily (but secretly) gaining power over the centuries by, once more, working behind the scenes. According to some versions of their legend, they’re supposedly responsible for famous world events… including most notably the French Revolution and the JFK assassination. Due to the real Bavarian Illuminati’s spying operations and secrecy even at their height, it’s perhaps easy to see why people might link them to this more modern incarnation… but experts say the two groups are very different. Whereas the original Illuminati had wanted freedom and knowledge for all, in the time since their disbanding their name has come to represent clandestine oppression.

Ultimately, the idea that the Bavarian group went into hiding does make sense. They weren’t allowed to speak and practice freely, and so they had to hush up. And, because of that, the suggestion that they might have continued in hiding ever since, generation after generation, is difficult to really fault. In fact, it’s possible… but it’s perhaps also difficult to believe that such a group could really survive with any influence into the modern day, some 200 plus years later. And, anyway, if the conspiracies surrounding the Illuminati today were to be in any sense true, and if the contemporary group really were descended from the original Bavarian rebels… then they must have lost their original vision a long time ago. Because installing an authoritative government - a New World Order, as theorized today - isn’t something that those of the enlightened Bavarian group would have wanted. They had wanted to free the common person, rather than to further control them.

It’s clear that they’ve been brought back into the limelight in recent times, not least thanks to Hollowood blockbusters and best-selling book series, but what’s your verdict? Do you think the original Illuminati is still alive today? Are there still secret societies determined to bring about a new age of enlightenment? Or has that cause now come to mean something else entirely? Because that’s who the real Illuminati were.