Editing Illuminati (1700s) (section)

===Origins===
[[File:Minerval insignia.png|thumb|The [[Owl of Athena|Owl of Minerva]] perched on a book was an emblem used by the Bavarian Illuminati in their "Minerval" degree.]]
[[Adam Weishaupt]] (1748–1830) became professor of [[Canon Law]] and [[practical philosophy]] at the [[University of Ingolstadt]] in 1773. He was the only non-clerical professor at an institution run by [[Jesuit]]s, whose order Pope [[Clement XIV]] had dissolved in 1773. The Jesuits of Ingolstadt, however, still retained the purse strings and some power at the university, which they continued to regard as their own. They made constant attempts to frustrate and discredit non-clerical staff, especially when course material contained anything they regarded as liberal or Protestant. Weishaupt became deeply [[anti-clericalism|anti-clerical]], resolving to spread the ideals of the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] (''Aufklärung'') through some sort of secret society of like-minded individuals.<ref name="Stauffer">[http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/anti-masonry/stauffer.html Vernon Stauffer, ''New England and the Bavarian Illuminati'', Columbia University Press, 1918, Chapter 3 ''The European Illuminati''], Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, accessed 14 November 2015</ref>

Finding [[Freemasonry]] expensive, and not open to his ideas, he founded his own society which was to have a system of ranks or grades based on those in Freemasonry, but with his own agenda.<ref name="Stauffer" /> His original name for the new order was ''Bund der Perfektibilisten'', or Covenant of Perfectibility (Perfectibilists); he later changed it because it sounded too strange.<ref>{{cite book|title= Pythagoras oder Betrachtungen über die geheime Welt- und Regierungskunst|url= https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_T-FLAAAAcAAJ|last= Weishaupt|first= Adam|year= 1790|location= Frankfurt and Leipzig|pages= 670|publisher= Frankfurt; Leipzig}}</ref> On 1 May 1776, Weishaupt and four students formed the Perfectibilists, taking the [[Owl of Minerva]] as their symbol.<ref name="RLF1">René le Forestier, ''Les Illuminés de Bavière et la franc-maçonnerie allemande'', Paris, 1914, Book 1, Chapter 1, pp. 15–29</ref><ref>Manfred Agethen, ''Geheimbund und Utopie. Illuminaten, Freimaurer und deutsche Spätaufklärung'', Oldenbourg, Munich, 1987, p. 150.</ref> The members were to use aliases within the society. Weishaupt became ''Spartacus''.<ref>The following dynamic [[FactGrid]] query give a picture of the selection of "Ordensnamen" borrowed usually from history [https://database.factgrid.de/query/embed.html#%23defaultView%3ATimeline%0ASELECT%20%3FIO%20%3FIOLabel%20%3FNafter%20%3FNafterLabel%20%3Fdob%20%3Fimage%20WHERE%20%7B%0A%20%20SERVICE%20wikibase%3Alabel%20%7B%20bd%3AserviceParam%20wikibase%3Alanguage%20%22%5BAUTO_LANGUAGE%5D%2Cen%22.%20%7D%0A%20%20%3FIO%20wdt%3AP91%20wd%3AQ10677.%0A%20%20OPTIONAL%20%7B%20%3FIO%20wdt%3AP140%20%3FIname.%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20OPTIONAL%20%7B%20%3FIname%20wdt%3AP461%20%3FNafter.%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20OPTIONAL%20%7B%20%3FNafter%20wdt%3AP77%20%3Fdob.%20%7D%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20OPTIONAL%20%7B%20%3FNafter%20wdt%3AP189%20%3Fimage.%20%7D%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%7D%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%7D%0A%7D%0AORDER%20BY%20%3FInameLabel%0A Timeline of names used by Illuminati]</ref> Law students Massenhausen, Bauhof, Merz and Sutor became respectively ''Ajax, Agathon, Tiberius'' and ''Erasmus Roterodamus''. Weishaupt later expelled Sutor for indolence.<ref name="RLF2" /><ref>Terry Melanson, ''Perfectibilists: The 18th Century Bavarian Order of the Illuminati'', Trine Day, 2009, pp. 361, 364, 428</ref> In April 1778, the order became the ''Illuminatenorden'', or Order of Illuminati, after Weishaupt had seriously contemplated the name ''Bee order''.<ref>Ed Josef Wäges and Reinhard Markner, tr Jeva Singh-Anand, The Secret School of Wisdom, Lewis Masonic 2015, pp. 15–16</ref>

Massenhausen proved initially the most active in expanding the society. Significantly, while studying in Munich shortly after the formation of the order, he recruited {{ill|Xavier von Zwack|de|Franz Xaver von Zwackh}}, a former pupil of Weishaupt, at the beginning of Zwack's significant administrative career. (At the time, he was in charge of the Bavarian National Lottery.) Massenhausen's enthusiasm soon became a liability in the eyes of Weishaupt, often resulting in attempts to recruit unsuitable candidates. Later, his erratic love-life made him neglectful, and as Weishaupt passed control of the Munich group to Zwack, it became clear that Massenhausen had misappropriated subscriptions and intercepted correspondence between Weishaupt and Zwack. In 1778, Massenhausen graduated and took a post outside [[Bavaria]], taking no further interest in the order. At this time, the order had a nominal membership of twelve.<ref name="RLF2">René le Forestier, ''Les Illuminés de Bavière et la franc-maçonnerie allemande'', Paris, 1914, Book 1, Chapter 2, pp. 30–45</ref>

With the departure of Massenhausen, Zwack immediately applied himself to recruiting more mature and important recruits. Most prized by Weishaupt was Hertel, a childhood friend and a canon of the [[Munich Frauenkirche]]. By the end of summer 1778 the order had 27 members (still counting Massenhausen) in 5 commands; Munich (Athens), Ingolstadt (Eleusis), Ravensberg (Sparta), Freysingen (Thebes), and Eichstaedt (Erzurum).<ref name="RLF2" />

During this early period, the order had three grades of Novice, Minerval and Illuminated Minerval, of which only the Minerval grade involved a complicated ceremony. In this the candidate was given secret signs and a password. A system of mutual espionage kept Weishaupt informed of the activities and character of all his members, his favourites becoming members of the ruling council, or Areopagus. Some novices were permitted to recruit, becoming ''Insinuants''. Christians of good character were actively sought, with Jews and pagans specifically excluded, along with women, monks and members of other secret societies. Favoured candidates were rich, docile, willing to learn and aged 18–30.<ref name="MMM">Ellic Howe, ''Illuminati'', Man, Myth and Magic (partwork), Purnell, 1970, vol 4, pp. 1402–04
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René le Forestier, ''Les Illuminés de Bavière et la franc-maçonnerie allemande'', Paris, 1914, Book 1, Chapter 3, pp. 45–72.
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