Friedrich Hölderlin and the clandestine society of the Bavarian Illuminati. A plaidoyer

This essay deals with a grossly neglected aspect of Friedrich Hölderlin’s involvement in his historical and intellectual period, namely, his relationship with the secret order of the Bavarian Illuminati. Hölderlin’s native region of Württemberg was one of the organization’s most active colonies, as was almost every other Duchy or city Hölderlin happened to live in. It was therefore not merely coincidental that he was personally acquainted with many Illuminati and read a number of important writings connected to the society. Nonetheless, Hölderlin-scholarship has hitherto failed to grasp the relevance of this aspect.