Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati , an Enlightenment -era secret society founded on 1 May in the Electorate of Bavaria. The society's stated goals were to oppose superstition , obscurantism , religious influence over public life, and abuses of state power.
In subsequent use, "Illuminati" has been used when referring to various organisations which are alleged to be a continuation of the original Bavarian Illuminati though these links have not been substantiated.
These organisations have often been accused of conspiring to control world affairs, by masterminding events and planting agents in governments and corporations , in order to gain political power , influence and to establish a New World Order.
Central to some of the more widely known and elaborate conspiracy theories , the Illuminati are depicted as lurking in the shadows and pulling the strings and levers of power. This view of the Illuminati has found its way into popular culture, appearing in dozens of novels, films, television shows, comics, video games and music videos.
Adam Weishaupt β became professor of Canon Law and practical philosophy at the University of Ingolstadt in He was the only non-clerical professor at an institution run by Jesuits , whose order Pope Clement XIV had dissolved in The Jesuits of Ingolstadt, however, still retained the purse strings and some power at the university, which they continued to regard as their own.
