Illuminati History Archive · Published 2025-02-10 · Updated 2026-03-01 · 6 min
Bavarian Illuminati Timeline
Key dates for the historical order—and markers for when myth took over.
A concise timeline of documented Bavarian Illuminati dates from foundation to suppression and later legend.
Core historical dates
1776 marks the founding. The early 1780s cover expansion and internal change. 1784–1785 cover Bavarian edicts and effective dissolution.
Use the interactive timeline on this site for expandable detail on each phase.
Reception after dissolution
The 1790s conspiracy books, nineteenth-century reprints, and modern media form a separate timeline of ideas—not proof of unbroken organizational life.
Sources
- Illuminati — Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Einige Originalschriften des Illuminatenordens — Published by the Bavarian government — 1787
For more encyclopedic and scholarly starting points, see the sources directory. Cross-check claims against primary materials and reference works rather than unverifiable social-media posts.