Presenting an advanced and authoritative perspective, this definitive study chronicles the rise and fall of the Order of the Illuminati, a mysterious Enlightenment-era guild surrounded by myth. Describing this enigmatic community in meticulous detail, more than 1,000 endnotes are included, citing scholars, professors, and academics. Contemporary accounts and the original documents of the Illuminati themselves are covered as well. Copiously illustrated and featuring biographies of more than 400 confirmed members, this survey brings to light a 200-year-old mystery. Terry Melanson is the owner and developer of the popular online Illuminati Conspiracy Archive and has been writing about the Illuminati since 2000. He lives in Moncton, New Brunswick. Perfectibilists The 18th Century Bavarian Order of the Illuminati By Terry Melanson Trine Day LLC Copyright © 2009 Terry Melanson All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-9777953-8-3 Contents Front_Cover, Title Page, Copyright Page, Publisher's Foreword, Dedication, Preface, Prologue, Chapter One: Early Events, Chapter Two: Diaspora, Chapter Three: Revolution & Reaction, Chapter Four: Treacherous Offspring?, Epilogue: Legacy, Supplement 1: Ideaology, Supplement 2: Symbols and Rituals, Supplement 3: Structure, Supplement 4: Members (A-D), Supplement 4: Members (E-H), Supplement 4: Members (J-L), Supplement 4: Members (M-P), Supplement 4: Members (R-S), Supplement 4: Members (T-Z), Appendix A, Appendix B, Appendix C, Appendix D, Back_Cover, CHAPTER 1 Early Events Do you realize sufficiently what it means to rule — to rule in a secret society? Not only over the lesser or more important of the populace, but over the best of men, over men of all ranks, nations, and religions, to rule without external force, to unite them indissolubly, to breathe one spirit and soul into them, men distributed over all parts of the world? ... And finally, do you know what secret societies are? What a place they occupy in the great kingdom of the world's events? Do you think they are unimportant, transitory appearances? — Adam Weishaupt A Chronological Overview In general, if at all, it is customary for an author to include a chronology toward the end of the book rather than near the beginning. In the case of the Illuminati, however, and since the historical record of the Order between the years 1776 and 1787 may indeed be unfamiliar to many, an explication of the sequence of events will, I believe, be useful. 1748 — February 6. Johann Adam Weishaupt is born (d. 1830) of Westphalian parents in Ingolstadt, Bavaria. Fittingly, the Weishaupt family name first appeared in nearby Baden and was anciently associated with tribal conflicts around the area. 1753 — Weishaupt's father, Johann George Weishaupt (b. 1717) dies. He is adopted by his liberal godfather, Johann Adam Baron von Ickstatt, professor and rector of the University of Ingolstadt and a member of the Privy Council. While growing up, Weishaupt was educated by the Jesuits, and was also "accorded free range in the private library of his godfather, the boy's questioning spirit was deeply impressed by the brilliant though pretentious works of the French 'philosophers' with which the shelves were plentifully stocked." Inside Ickstatt's library (comprising over 4200 volumes) Weishaupt blossomed into an adept bibliophile, immersing himself in study — law, economics, politics, history, religion, and philosophy — and voraciously devouring volume after volume. He was naturally attracted to the books of a forbidden nature — e.g., those volumes from Ickstatt's collection which the latter kept after the censor of the University library had them rejected as inappropriate, blasphemous, or dangerous. 1763 — At age fifteen Weishaupt is sufficiently advanced enough to study philosophy and history at the University of Ingolstadt. 1768 — Graduating from the University of Ingolstadt, Weishaupt is conferred a doctorate of law on January 10; his dissertation was on the topic of Ius civile privatum. He serves for four years as a tutor and catechist. 1772 — Weishaupt is appointed as professor of civil law at the University of Ingolstadt. 1773 — July 11. Against the wishes of Ickstatt, Weishaupt marries Afra Sausenhofer from Eichstatt. July 21. Pope Clement XIV dissolves the Jesuit Order. Weishaupt becomes the first layman to occupy the chair of canon law; the prestigious position had been held by Jesuits for the previous 90 years. Weishaupt's new title, "Chair of Ecclesiastical Law and Practical Philosophy," was procured by Ickstatt, "in pursuance of an anti-Jesuit staffing policy." However, the University continued to employ some former members of the dissolved Society of Jesus — in many cases, there was simply no choice. In particular, since the necessary qualifications in others were lacking, the Jesuits continued as masters of the faculty of theology. But Ickstatt had made a great mistake in allowing