ILLUMINATI 101
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 Jesuits,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.
Christians of good character were actively sought, withJews 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.[13][14]
Transition
Having, with difficulty, dissuaded some of his members from joining the Freemasons, Weishaupt decided to join the older order to acquire material to expand his own ritual. He was admitted to lodge "Prudence" of the Rite of Strict Observance early in February 1777. His progress through the three degrees of "blue lodge" masonry taught him nothing of the higher degrees he sought to exploit, but in the following year a priest called Abbé Marotti informed Zwack that these inner secrets rested on knowledge of the older religion and the primitive church. Zwack persuaded Weishaupt that their own order should enter into friendly relations with Freemasonry, and obtain the dispensation to set up their own lodge. At this stage (December 1778), the addition of the first three degrees of Freemasonry was seen as a secondary project.[15]
With little difficulty, a warrant was obtained from the Grand Lodge of Prussia called the Royal York for Friendship, and the new lodge was called Theodore of the Good Council, with the intention of flattering Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria. It was founded in Munich on 21 March 1779, and quickly packed with Illuminati. The first master, a man called Radl, was persuaded to return home to Baden, and by July Weishaupt's order ran the lodge.[15]
The next step involved independence from their Grand Lodge. By establishing masonic relations with the Union lodge in Frankfurt, affiliated to the Premier Grand Lodge of England, lodge Theodore became independently recognised, and able to declare its independence. As a new mother lodge, it could now spawn lodges of its own. The recruiting drive amongst the Frankfurt masons also obtained the allegiance of Adolph Freiherr Knigge.[15]
“Provided with material by Weishaupt, Knigge now produced pamphlets outlining the activities of the outlawed Jesuits, purporting to show how they continued to thrive and recruit, especially in Bavaria. Meanwhile, Knigge's inability to give his recruits any satisfactory response to questions regarding the higher grades was making his position untenable, and he wrote to Weishaupt to this effect. In January 1781, faced with the prospect of losing Knigge and his masonic recruits, Weishaupt finally confessed that his superiors and the supposed antiquity of the order were fictions, and the higher degrees had yet to be written.[16] “
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminati
Johann Adam Freiherr von Ickstatt (6 January 1702 – 17 August 1776) was a German educator and director of the University of Ingolstadt. Born in Vockenhausen, he was a major proponent of the Enlightenment in Bavaria. He died in Waldsassen. He was a godfather to Adam Weishaupt.
Notes
Regarding personal names: Freiherr is a former title (translated as Baron). In Germany since 1919, it forms part of family names. The feminine forms are Freifrau and Freiin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Adam_von_Ickstatt
https://www.lmu.de/en/about-lmu/lmu-at-a-glance/history/1702/index.html
In June 1746 Johann Adam Freiherr von Ickstatt (1702–1776) was named Director of the University in Ingolstadt by the Elector Max III. Joseph. Ickstatt had already distinguished himself as an expert in Public Law (Jus publicum), having published notable work on the subject during his time in Würzburg. As University Director in Ingolstadt, he reformed the institution in accordance with Enlightenment principles, and reorganized the Faculty of Law. Ickstatt’s reforming zeal, which he retained to the end of his life, made him one of the most important figures in the history of education in Bavaria.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0952695113502483
Catholic Doctrine of the Law of Nations by Johann Adam Ickstatt [PDF]
https://docslib.org/doc/6314853/catholic-doctrine-of-the-law-of-nations-by-johann-adam-ickstatt