16 Mind-Blowing Facts The Illuminati Don't Want You To Know

13. The Illuminati Has Not Officially Existed Since 1785... But Many Groups Claim To Be Off-Shoots

First established in Bavaria in May 1776, the Illuminati in its original form lasted just nine years before it was outlawed in 1785.

With the Roman Catholic Church and the Bavarian government worried about the impact the Illuminati could have, an Edict was released by German ruler Karl Theodor in 1785 that outlawed the organisation.

Due to the fact the Illuminati had arisen out of the Enlightenment, any conservative politicians at the time feared the organisation - so Theodor banned all secret societies. Theodor then demanded that all of the Illuminati's secret documents were confiscated and published, so this forced the movement even further underground - with groups such as the Ordo Templi Orientis claiming to be an organisation directly descended from the original Illuminati.

If the Illuminati does still exist, then it really is an underground movement.