Illuminati (Bavarian)

The Bavarian Illuminati was a secret society founded in 1776 in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, by Adam Weishaupt. Its goal was to promote Enlightenment ideas like reason, secularism, and rational thought, opposing religious and political oppression. Though it was short-lived, disbanded by authorities in 1785, it became the subject of numerous conspiracy theories claiming it secretly influences global events. Historically, it was an Enlightenment-era organization focused on intellectual freedom and social reform, but today, the term "Illuminati" often refers to imagined shadowy elites purportedly controlling world affairs—mostly part of modern myths rather than verified history.