Adam Weishaupt
Founder of the Bavarian Illuminati and professor of law.
Johann Adam Weishaupt was born in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, in 1748. His father, a law professor, died when he was five, and he was subsequently raised by his godfather, a professor who championed Enlightenment rationalism. Weishaupt began his education at a Jesuit school at age seven and later earned a doctorate in law from the University of Ingolstadt in 1768. After converting to Protestantism, he became a law professor in 1772. Following the suppression of the Jesuit order in 1773, he assumed a chair in canon law, a position previously reserved for Jesuits. In 1775, he encountered the empirical philosophy of Johann Georg Heinrich Feder, with whom he later opposed Kantian idealism. On 1 May 1776, Weishaupt founded the secret society known as the Illuminati, adopting the name "Brother Spartacus." The order aimed to liberate humans from religious bondage and undermine corrupt governments, though its internal structure was not egalitarian. It operated through a network of isolated cells, each reporting to unknown superiors, a model later adopted by other groups. Weishaupt joined a Munich Masonic lodge in 1777 and used Freemasonry to recruit for his society, seeking to perfect human nature through re-education toward a communal state free of government and religion. With Adolph Freiherr Knigge, he expanded the order's ritual structure. However, the order prescribed members' reading and thinking in detail, contradicting Kant’s ideal of independent reason; scholar Wolfgang Riedel noted this approach degraded the Enlightenment principle. Intercepted writings in 1784 were deemed seditious, leading to the order’s ban by Bavaria’s elector. Weishaupt lost his university post and fled. He later lived in Gotha under Duke Ernest II, writing works defending illuminism. He died there in 1830. Assessments of his character vary: some, like John Robison, saw him as a malevolent figure, while Thomas Jefferson considered him an enthusiastic philanthropist.
- born
- 6 February 1748, Ingolstadt, Electorate of Bavaria
- died
- 18 November 1830, Gotha
- field
- Philosophy, civil law, canon law
- nationality
- German
- known_for
- Founder of the Bavarian Illuminati
Lore & Background
Adam Weishaupt was born on 6 February 1748 in Ingolstadt in the Electorate of Bavaria. His father died when he was five, and he came under the tutelage of his godfather Johann Adam von Ickstatt. He began formal education at age seven at a Jesuit school, later enrolled at the University of Ingolstadt, and graduated in 1768 with a doctorate of law. In 1772 he became a professor of law. The following year he married Afra Sausenhofer of Eichstätt. After the suppression of the Society of Jesus in 1773, Weishaupt became a professor of canon law. In 1775 he was introduced to the empirical philosophy of Johann Georg Heinrich Feder. On 1 May 1776 he founded the Illuminati. He was initiated into the Masonic lodge 'Theodor zum guten Rath' at Munich in 1777. The order was banned by the government of Karl Theodor, Elector of Bavaria, in 1784. Weishaupt lost his position at the University of Ingolstadt and fled Bavaria. He received assistance from Duke Ernest II of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and lived in Gotha. He died in Gotha on 18 November 1830. He was survived by his second wife, Anna Maria (née Sausenhofer), and his children Nanette, Charlotte, Ernst, Karl, Eduard, and Alfred. His body was buried next to that of his son Wilhelm at Friedhof II der Sophiengemeinde Berlin.
Reader's Guide
The Illuminati was formed with the vision of liberating humans from religious bondage and undermining corrupted governments. The actual character of the society was an elaborate network of spies and counter-spies. Each isolated cell of initiates reported to a superior, whom they did not know. Weishaupt used Freemasonry to recruit for his own quasi-masonic society, with the goal of 'perfecting human nature' through re-education to achieve a communal state with nature, freed of government and organized religion. The order prescribed in great detail everything members had to read and think, leading Wolfgang Riedel to comment that this approach constituted a degradation of the Kantian principle of Enlightenment. After the order was banned and its members dispersed, it left behind no enduring traces of influence, not even on its own erstwhile members.
Did You Know?
- Weishaupt adopted the name 'Brother Spartacus' within the order.
- The word 'Illuminati' derives from the Latin illuminatus, meaning 'enlightened'.
- Weishaupt wrote a series of works on illuminism while in exile, including 'A Complete History of the Persecutions of the Illuminati in Bavaria' (1785).
- Thomas Jefferson considered Weishaupt an 'enthusiastic Philanthropist' who believed in the indefinite perfectibility of man.
Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)
"Johann Adam Weishaupt (6 February 1748 – 18 November 1830) was a German law professor, philosopher and founder of the Illuminati." — Adam Weishaupt "Philosophy degree (1783), in: The Secret School of Wisdom: The Authentic Rituals and Doctrinces of the Illuminati, ed. by Josef Wäges and Reinhard Markner, Lewis Masonic 2015, p. 364." — Adam Weishaupt "Einleitung zu meiner Apologie (1787) p. 39." — Adam Weishaupt "Greeting to the newly integrated illuminatos dirigentes", in Nachtrag von weitern Originalschriften vol. 2 (1787) p. 45." — Adam Weishaupt
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