Our Masonic Heritage
The word group known as the Illuminati was founded in Bavaria (today part of Germany) in 1776 by scholars seeking to establish enlightenment, freethinking and was loosely based on the Masonic orders. The word Illuminati is the plural form of the latin word Illuminatus which means enlightened or illuminated. The original organization started with five members but quickly grew to have chapters all across Bavaria through the masonic process.
In 1777, the Illuminati began to cooperate with all the Masonic lodges (especially the Grand Orient) in order to infiltrate them. The Duke of Brunswick, Grand Master of Germany, said in 1794 that the Masonic lodges were controlled by the Illuminati. When Weishaupt became a member of the Grand Orient, the lodge was backed financially by Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1743-1812).