The Bavarian Illuminati: The Rise and Fall of the World's Most Secret Society

The definitive history of the Bavarian Order of the Illuminati and their founder, Adam Weishaupt • Details the rise and fall of this famous and infamous Order, including its penetration of Bavarian society and its destruction by the Bavarian government • Explains the Bavarian Illuminati’s grades, rituals, ceremonies, and fundamental philosophies and examines the leaders of the Order • Contains the only surviving record of documents that were destroyed during the two World Wars The Bavarian Order of the Illuminati is the most celebrated secret society in the world. Though officially lasting only 11 years, the powerful spell and shadow cast by the Illuminati still looms in the present day, where its influence can be seen in current conspiracy beliefs and actions by powerful individuals working in the shadows. The original Order of the Illuminati was founded by Bavarian professor Adam Weishaupt in 1776. Although the order was banned and brought down by the Bavarian Elector in 1787--when he became aware of the extent to which it had infiltrated the courts, schools, and his own administration--its legend and deep influence lives on to this day. Charting the rise and fall of this infamous order, this book--first published in French in 1915 and never before available in English--remains the definitive history of the Order of the Bavarian Illuminati. It also offers a revealing look at the world that spawned and shaped it: a ceaseless ferment of revolutionary and occult ideas and the ceaseless attempts by crown and church to suppress them. Other secret societies that shared the stage with the Illuminati during these years include the Templar Strict Observance, von Hund’s Templar Freemasonry, and other Masonic lodges the Illuminati targeted to subvert for their own purposes. Many of the documents the author consulted for the writing of this book were destroyed during the two World Wars, making this book the only surviving record of many of the order’s secrets. The author explains the Bavarian Illuminati’s grades, rituals, and ceremonies as well as its fundamental philosophies. He paints vivid portraits of the leaders of the order, including Weishaupt, Baron Knigge, and Xavier von Zwack. He reveals how Weishaupt early on decided to subvert the existing German Freemason Lodge as a shortcut to gain esoteric hegemony over the occult world, all in order to extend Illuminati influence into the society at large and the government. The author also provides extensive detail of the order’s eventual destruction by the Bavarian government. In addition to its revelation of little-known secrets of the Illuminati Order, the author also sheds new light on much of the occult life of this time, including the activities of figures such as Cagliostro and Mirabeau and other active groups such as Freemason chapters, the Rosicrucians, and the Martinists.

Table of Contents:
Note to the Reader on Source Material and Abbreviations Book One The Order of the Illuminati ONE The Founding of the Order and the Man Who Founded It TWO Recruiting for the Order Until 1780 THREE Organization and Grades FOUR General Features of the Society FIVE The Order’s Weakness Book Two German Freemasonry from Its Origins to 1780 ONE The Beginnings of Freemasonry in Germany TWO The Strict Observance from 1751 to 1772 THREE Greatness and Decline of the Strict Observance (1772-1780) Book Three The Illuminated Freemasonry ONE The Initial Relations of the Illuminati Order with Freemasonry TWO Adolph Baron von Knigge THREE The Reform of the Illuminati Order FOUR The Grades and Organization of Illuminated Freemasonry FIVE Political and Religious Doctrines Book Four History of the Illuminati System ONE Effect on the German Lodges TWO The Zenith THREE The Legal Proceedings in Bavaria to October 10, 1786 FOUR The End of the Order Book Five Weishaupt’s Philosophical Testament ONE Draft of a Moral Praxis: The Principles TWO Draft of a Moral Praxis: Critical Theory THREE Theory of the Secret Society Book Six The Illuminati Legend ONE Formation of the Legend TWO Illuminism and the French Revolution THREE The Great Epics: The Legend in History and Fiction FOUR The Police Legend and the Resurrection of the Order Sources and Abbreviations Index

About the Author :
René Le Forestier (1868-1951) was one of the preeminent historians of the occult worlds of the 17th and 18th centuries. His work explored the relations between the many secret societies that existed during this time, with a special emphasis on Freemasonry and Martinism. Jon E. Graham is an award-winning translator, artist, and writer specializing in esoteric topics and Surrealism. He lives in Vermont.

Review :
“In a world where the term ‘Illuminati’ is ubiquitous yet clouded by fantasy, Jon E. Graham’s new translation of this classic study brings rigor, clarity, and an exquisitely rare dose of real historicism to our understanding of these esoteric and social renegades. In a culture suffused with paranoia-for-sale, René Le Forestier’s work forms a revolutionary countercurrent.” “In the annals of secret societies, the Bavarian Illuminati holds a special place in both history and legend. This book, better than any other, provides solid documentation on the order based on primary evidence and is therefore an indispensable source for any rational investigation of the subject.” “The legend of the Illuminati has cast a long shadow over world history--inspiring mystics, artists, and musicians. Now, at last, Jon Graham’s masterful translation of René Le Forestier’s exposé of the world’s mostarcane secret society opens the vault of the mysteries of the true Illuminati--for those brave enough to step through.” “The ‘Illuminati’ concept can be found on the lips of practically every conspiracy theorist today. It is therefore both timely and salutary that the world’s greatest study of the real, not speculative, Illuminati has, after more than a century, finally appeared in English thanks to Jon E. Graham’s superb translation of the original work by French historian René Le Forestier (1868-951). A vast work, evincing painstaking scholarship, Le Forestier provides certain evidence for every aspect of Adam Weishaupt’s creation of genius: a radical form of Freemasonry dedicated to establishing an egalitarian social order and philosophical principle. Now that Graham has given us the definitive English version of this classic, which includes an excellent history of early German Masonry, none but the willfully ignorant need loosely bandy about the term ‘Illuminati’ again; this vital text demythologizes the word itself.” “An impressive and informative study of how Adam Weishaupt’s original, magical, and humanist idealism bloomed into a powerful force that still affects many layers of Western culture today.”