The Historical Illuminati

The Historical Illuminati:

• Name: The Bavarian Illuminati
• Founded: May 1, 1776
• Founder: Adam Weishaupt, a law professor at the University of Ingolstadt in Bavaria (now part of Germany).
• Purpose: The group aimed to promote Enlightenment ideals—reason, secularism, liberty, and opposition to religious and political oppression. They wanted to combat superstition and abuses of state power, sometimes working in secret to spread their views.
• Structure: It was structured similarly to Freemasonry (and some members were also Freemasons). It had ranks, secret rituals, and a selective recruitment process.

Why They Got Banned:

• Authorities in Bavaria didn’t like secret societies challenging the status quo.
• In the 1780s, the Bavarian government outlawed the Illuminati, along with other secret societies, and cracked down on members.
• By around 1787, the group was considered defunct.

The Conspiracy Stuff:

• Later writers and conspiracy theorists (starting in the late 1700s and into the 20th century) exaggerated the Illuminati’s influence, claiming they orchestrated revolutions, controlled world events, or secretly ran the world.
• These theories are not supported by solid historical evidence.

In short:
 Yes, a real Illuminati existed in 18th-century Bavaria.
 No, there's no credible evidence they continued beyond that or secretly control the world today.