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A secret society is an organization about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence.
- Overview
- 1. The Knights Templar
- 2. The Freemasons
- HISTORY Vault: Mysteries of the Freemasons: America
- 3. The Illuminati
- 4. Skull and Bones
- 5. Bilderberg
Discover the intriguing history, enigmatic rituals and hidden knowledge of renowned secret societies such as the Knights Templar, Freemasons, Skull and Bones and, of course, the Illuminati.
Secret societies have flourished throughout history and count Founding Fathers and royals among their ranks. Members (most often men) have been tapped to join The Knights Templar, the Freemasons, the Bavarian Illuminati, Skull and Bones and Bilderberg. The allure of secret societies is part mystery, part legend.
Conspiracy theories have surrounded them for centuries, with rumors of groups like the Illuminati being linked to everything from the French Revolution to the assassination of JFK. But it’s important to separate fact from fiction.
Mardi Gras in New Orleans Came from a Secret Society
The Knights Templar were warriors dedicated to protecting Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land during the Crusades. The military order was founded around 1118 when Hugues de Payens, a French knight, created the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon—or The Knights Templar for short. Headquartered at Temple Mount in Jerusalem, members pledged to live a life of chastity, obedience and poverty, abstaining from gambling, alcohol and even swearing.
The Knights Templar were known for more than their military prowess and moral lifestyle. They became one of the most wealthy and powerful forces in Europe after setting up a bank that allowed pilgrims to deposit money in their home countries and withdraw it in the Holy Land.
Their influence swelled to a new high in 1139 when Pope Innocent II issued a Papal Bull exempting them from paying taxes… and decreeing that the only authority they had to answer to was the Pope. At the apex of their power, the Knights Templar owned the island of Cyprus, a fleet of ships and lent money to kings. But not all kings were happy customers.
The first seal of the Knights Templar.
The freemasons loom large in American history—after all, 13 of the 39 men who signed the U.S. Constitution were Masons. Founding Fathers like George Washington, James Monroe, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock and Paul Revere all counted themselves as members of the fraternal order. But who are the Freemasons?
The Freemasons can trace their routes to the Middle Ages in Europe when most craftsmen were organized into local guilds. Cathedral builders, by nature of their profession, had to travel from city to city. They identified one another via signs of their trade, like the builder’s square and compass in Freemasonry’s now-iconic symbol.
Freemasons led the Revolution, framed the Declaration of Independence and designed our nation's capital. Is America the creation of the world’s oldest secret society?
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The initiation of an Illuminatus.
The Illuminati was founded by professor Adam Weishaupt in Bavaria on May 1, 1776. Weishaupt, chafing at the power of the conservative Catholic Church and the Bavarian monarchy, sought to cast aside organized religion in favor of a new form of “illumination” through reason. Inspired by the spread of the Enlightenment across Europe, he also drew upon ideas expressed by the Jesuits (he was a former member), the Mysteries of the Seven Sages of Memphis, the Kabbalah and Freemasons. He recruited heavily from the latter group, infiltrating masonic lodges in his quest to recruit some of the wealthiest and most influential men in Europe.
Skull and Bones members from the class of 1861.
The Order of Skull and Bones is a secret society founded at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut in 1832. Skull and Bones founder William Huntington Russell was inspired by an occult society he’d visited in Germany. His co-founder was Alphonso Taft, future Secretary of War under President Grant and father of president William Howard Taft… who would also be a member of Skull and Bones. The prominent list of Bonesman includes several presidents and modern-day power brokers.
The 1966 Bilderberg Conference took place in Wiesbaden, Germany, where leading American and Europeans met, including NATO Secretary General Manilo Brosio (left).
The first Bilderberg Meeting was in 1954 and was held at the Hotel de Bilderberg in the Netherlands, from which the organization gets its name. Convened by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, it was a gathering of powerful politicians from North America and Europe designed to foster warmer relations between the two continents among fears of growing anti-Americanism in Europe.
- Jessica Pearce Rotondi
- The Illuminati. A movement of freethinkers that were the most radical offshoot of The Enlightenment — whose followers were given the name Illuminati (but who called themselves “Perfectibilists”) — was founded on May 1, 1776 in Ingolstadt (Upper Bavaria), by Jesuit-taught Adam Weishaupt.
- Freemasons. The Grand Masonic Lodge was created in 1717 when four small groups of lodges joined together. Membership levels were initially first and second degree, but in the 1750s this was expanded to create the third degree which caused a split in the group.
- The Order of the Skull and Bones. The Order of Skull and Bones, a Yale University society, was originally known as the Brotherhood of Death. It is one of the oldest student secret societies in the United States.
- The Knights of the Golden Circle. The Knights of the Golden Circle was a secret society that flourished in the U.S. during the American Civil War. In the beginning, the group sought to encourage the annexation of Mexico and the West Indies, which they believed would help the waning slave trade to once again flourish.
Sep 27, 2024 · Secret society, any of a large range of membership organizations that utilize secret initiations or other rituals and whose members often employ oaths, handshakes, or other signs of recognition. Elements of secrecy may vary from a mere password to elaborate rituals, private languages, costumes, and symbols.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Mar 20, 2024 · By their very name, secret societies inspire curiosity, fascination and distrust. When, for example, news broke that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia spent his final hours in February...
- 3 min
- Jackie Mansky,Sonja Anderson
Nov 8, 2023 · It’s easy to see how secret societies, with their clandestine meeting houses and shadowy initiation rituals, have captured the imaginations of those of us on the outside. Let’s peek into the...
Secret societies have long been the subject of intrigue and speculation, often linked to the world's most powerful and influential figures. These organisations are believed by some to manipulate global events, control governments, and influence major decisions behind the scenes.
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