Illuminati History
One of the most common questions surrounding the Illuminati is if the group even exists. So, who started the Illuminati? The speculated theories of the group can be traced back to the 18th century. The Illuminati was founded by two men, the sneaky Adam Weishaupt and optimistic Adolph Von Knigge. They hold these titles based on their accomplishments and strategies before and after the formation of the Illuminati.
Who is Adam Weishaupt?
Adam Weishaupt is a sneaky “German philosopher” who can be traced back to the beginning of the Illuminati. According to Elizabeth Entenmen, “he founded the Order of the Illuminati in 1776”, and his main idea for the group is for “humans to be happy and free” while “distancing government from the church,” (Entenmen 1). Richard Spence, a writer for the Great Courses Daily states, “Weishaupt grew up with his father, a scholar during the Age of Enlightenment, surrounded by books that most likely influenced him as a child”. In Richard Spence’s article he states, Weishaupt studied law at a Jesuit-Ran University where he learned about the art of propaganda (Spence 1). He did not involve himself with any religion but “he considered himself a Jesuit because of the secret society in the Catholic Church” (1). Weishaupt once said, “most effective leadership is through secrecy” (1). This demonstrates Weishaupt sly craft to be used in any branch of his career.
More About Adam Weishaupt
Also, Weishaupt “believed that people’s personal status can be increased by knowing secrets even if they aren’t true” (Spence 1). If people believed they had shared authority with Weishaupt, then he could easily manipulate them because they trusted what he said (1). Since “Weishaupt believed he was only protected while in a secret society: this led him to join the Freemasonry where he was initiated to the Masonic Lodge” (1). This was when he asked other members of the Freemasonry to join the Illuminati (1). He believed that the Freemasonry members would be good leaders that would benefit the Illuminati (1). His main purpose of having good leaders was to gain more power to spread his propaganda (1). Another one of Weishaupt’s sneaky, clever schemes, “he never considered women to be a part of the official Illuminati but used them to manipulate the men (1). Men would have to win a women’s heart to be liberated (1). This would trick the men into working for the Illuminati without knowing” (1). Although his leadership was not trustworthy, his craft was tricky and developed well.
Baron Adolph von Knigge can be labeled as an optimistic leader for the Illuminati. According to Tabia Tietz in “Adolph Von Knigge and the Art of Human Relations”, his mother died when he was eleven and his father died when he was fourteen; therefore, it can be inferred growing up was difficult for Knigge (Tietz 1). Through his hardships, he persevered and became a prominent leader for Germany (1). “He is remembered for his book Über den Umgang mit Menschen which described the authoritative guide to behavior, politeness, and proper etiquette” (1). He made rules that should be followed to live a happy and useful life for his readers (1).
The article “Adolph Knigge” by Prabook lists, one of Knigge’s famous quotes is “respect yourself if you want others to respect you.” This highlights his strong morals and character which made him a positive leader. Knigge made a large impact in character development on Germany (Adolph Knigge 1). Knigge joined the Illuminati under the name Philo where he influenced the Order of Illuminati’s publicity and influenced the masonic chapters (1). The authority and influence he had over the group demonstrated how others admired him for his character (1). Knigge was the second leader to join Adam Weishaupt (1). This turned into frequent disagreements between the two that eventually resulted in Knigge leaving the group in 1784 (1). Knigge accused Weishaupt of faking his identity as a Jesuit; he could no longer take part in the Illuminati because Weishaupt asserted dominance over the group and was disloyal to others (1).
