Now I appreciate Amadeus is more fiction than fact, but it did get me thinking about the influence of Freemasons prior to the last century, when they have appeared synonymous to illuminati, reptilian humanoids etc etc.
If close to an entire class of Vienna's population were indeed Freemasons, what particular advantages did membership confer? What has the 'point' of Freemasonry historically been? And have they ever been seen as enough of a threat to a sovereign's legitimacy to necessitate persecution and banishment?
I of course don't expect the entire history of freemasonry, but would be really grateful for examples of freemasonary's influence within your historical specialisations & periods!
Thanks very much and all the best
Freemason here. Come visit at /r/freemasonry
The 1700s saw a growth of men's societies, including the Freemasons, in the urban areas around Europe.
Instead of saying that the Freemasons had a lot of influence, it would probably be more correct to say that men of influence tended to join the more prestigious societies, of which the Order of Freemasons was probably the most widely known (ironically enough for the reputation of secrecy that they had).
If close to an entire class of Vienna's population were indeed Freemasons, what particular advantages did membership confer? What has the 'point' of Freemasonry historically been? And have they ever been seen as enough of a threat to a sovereign's legitimacy to necessitate persecution and banishment?
There are very few reliable historical documents about the beginnings of Freemasonry, but it's safe to say that by the mid 1700s it was a popular society for up and coming men of the new merchant / business class to mingle with the new scientists and philosophers. Membership didn't confer any particular advantages except it allowed men to meet and have introductions to other men of influence.
However, the reputation of secrecy (which I tend to believe the Freemasons themselves cultivated so as to seem more exclusive) has made governments suspect members of harboring subversive plots. Freemasons were persecuted in Nazi Germany, and to this day, lodges do not operate openly in most Middle Eastern countries, China, or some other SE Asian countries.
I should point out that some monarchs had good reason to be distrustful. The Illuminati of Bavaria was actually a group that advocated the overthrow of European monarchies, spread through recruiting members from the ranks of Freemasonry.
The Church of Rome also found Freemasonry to be problematic, as men from Spain and Italy, and the colonies in Central and South America contacted the successful revolutionaries in the new United States for advice and guidance. The Church, by the late 1700s, began passing pronouncements against joining secret societies, mentioning the Freemasons by name.