Throughout the history of the world different people such as kings, emperors and their advisors have held all the power in their hands, and they would organize social events to show everyone just how much power they possessed. And alongside such powerful people, there were also secret societies which were far more powerful without needing to be the center of attention.
Knights Templar was a secret medieval society founded around the year 1118, during the time of the crusades. It was founded for the protection of worshipers who traveled the Holy lands. They received official protection from the Catholic Church in 1129.
In only several centuries the Templars became one of the most powerful societies in Europe, with their own banking system, a weapon, numerous followers and even territories.
The Templers were not ordinary wealthy knight crusaders. They had a strict code of conduct, including the rule to never fall back during battle apart from when the enemy dominated in numbers. And they also protected their followers during crusades.
The history of the Templars intertwines with multiple Christian legends. There is a theory that they were the ones who discovered King Solomon’s treasure, buried under the temple in his honor in Jerusalem. It is even believed that they found The Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail containing the blood of Jesus Christ.
There is no evidence that the Templars actually discovered these legendary treasures, but they did accumulate substantial amounts of treasure in their time. And that became the main reason for conflict with the French king, Philip, in the beginning of the 12th century. He was the king who was so indebted, and arrested and tortured hundreds of Templars, accusing them of idolatry, heresy, and worshiping the devil.
Numerous members of the society were executed. The Knights Templar society was destroyed several years later by order of the Pope. They left behind only legends and crushed dreams.
Many supporters of conspiracy theories believe that the world economy of leading countries and other powerful organizations are controlled by the secret society of the Illuminati.
The society was founded in 1776 by Adam Weishaupt, a Bavarian professor of law. Weishaupt claimed that he possessed intimate knowledge but it was unclear where he had obtained it from. Members of the secret society believed that a person is not evil by nature but is made evil through religion, government and other forces of modern society.
It is believed that Weishaupt was working on a detailed plan for world change, and he thought that in the future everyone would trust in him. In 1793 the Illuminati society was forbidden in Bavaria, and in the 1800’s its members migrated to different regions in Germany and dispersed. But the professor’s ideas were able to reach America as well as other countries in Europe. Many believe that the society of the Illuminati has been preserved to this day and continue ruling in secret.
With the growth of world economy and after the establishment of the United Nations organization, conspiracy theory supporters conclude that the society has power over the economy, government, and ideas, which is most likely the main goal of the Illuminati.
The Freemasons are a secret society that is very well-known today. Their existence has never been a big secret, but the rituals that they conduct behind closed doors remain a mystery to all. Many of the “founding fathers” of America were Freemasons, including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Paul Revere, among others. This information is provided by the online website of the Freemasons Association (MSANA).
The first grand lodge of the Masons in England was founded in 1717, but the actual origin of the Freemason society is unknown. There is a poem, Regius Poem, written in 1390, in which the Freemasons are mentioned, but their roots could date back even to an earlier epoch.
The Freemasons call themselves a world treasure and their ideals include personal growth, development, respect for human dignity, individual freedom, and freedom of creed, democracy and social betterment. Usually members of the society participate in the lives of local organizations and actively involve themselves in charity. According MSANA the Freemasons contributed for the establishment of the first public schools in Europe and America.
Another popular secret society is “Skull and Bones” of the Yale University. Similar to the Freemasons society, the existence of this organization is no secret, but once again everything they do remains hidden behind closed doors.
The “Skull and Bones” society accept only 15 new members each year which means that the overall count of members is never more than 800. Even though the society is small, American presidents such as George Bush and George Bush Junior, as well as senators (including John Kerry) and other powerful figures have been members.
The society was founded in 1832, and it was first called „Club Eulogy“. It still holds meetings two times a week to this day. Little is known of their work and that leads to multiple rumors and speculations. Others believe that this is an organization of the student fraternity for the rich kids.
Another secret society which is a lot less-known than the others that have been mentioned but still holds substantial power in the world is the Bilderberg Group. Each year they organize a 3-day-long conference. Its members met for the first time in 1954 in the Bilderberg hotel in the Dutch city of Oosterbeek.
The members change each year and one can attend the conference only with an invitation. The location of the conference also changes every year and journalists are not allowed inside.
According to the website of the organization, the members can speak freely of the community but they are forbidden from citing the words of any member. This rule has been accepted so that every member can express themselves openly at discussions and debates.
