The Universal Language of Freemasonry - ArchiMeD - Johannes ...

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Chapter 2 – Historical Background
Freemasonry as a speculative institution was introduced to Germany in the
first half of the 18 th century from England and probably also from France. In
1737, the first lodge, "Absalom zu den drei Nesseln," was created in Hamburg,
which initiated the Emperor Frederick the Great. It held a warrant from London,
as did the lodges that soon followed. The young men who founded the first
lodges felt that the absolutistic systems of their times were archaic. They sensed
the necessity of liberty of thought. Thus, German Freemasonry in its beginnings
was a society propagating the critical and dynamic ideas of the Enlightenment,
spreading very fast from Hamburg to other German regions. Due to the many
small states of which Germany consisted, the organization and administration of
Freemasonry early acquired a disjoint character, because different barons
exercised their influence within their areas. In the Protestant North of Germany,
Grand Lodges of Christian character evolved, while in the South of Germany,
the so-called "humanitarian" Grand Lodges arose, which only required
monotheism. 175
Several members of the Prussian royal court, German Emperors, military
officers, philosophers, poets, composers, scientists, and politicians became
initiated into Freemasonry, for example Frederick the Great, Wilhelm I,
Frederick III, Claudius, Fichte, Goethe, Herder, Liszt, Lortzing, Mozart, Haydn,
Gneisenau, Scharnhorst, Tucholsky, etc. Freemasonry, which expressed the
common German way of thinking, was very popular.
From 1750 on, German Freemasonry became dominated for a period of 30
years by the "Rite of Strict Observance," a brain child of Baron von Hundt. The
Strict Observance, "the story of which reads like a tale from the Arabian Nights,
into which were woven intrigues and confidence schemes, the principal actor
being a credulous but apparently honorable man," 176 derived its name from its
requirement that the candidate promise unquestioning obedience to his superiors.
The highest of those was called the "Unknown Superior" or "Knight of the Red
Feather." 177 Some supported that behind this mysterious character stood Prince
Charles Edward, the Young Pretender, hence the term "Red Masonry," see
Section 5.8 on technical terminology. They mystery that evolved around this
Order made it enticing, but also prey to charlatans and adventurers. In 1767, a
schism arose and a group of the Order split off, calling themselves "Clerks" or
"Clerics of the Strict Observance." This rival system died in 1792. In 1776, von
Hundt died, and the Young Pretender denied in Italy ever having been a
Freemason, or even the "Unknown Superior." This left the Strict Observance
without a leader, and worse, without basis for existence. Its end was inevitable.
In this period German Masonry became filled with innovations that led to
fundamental fragmentation.
A dark side of German Masonry is the treatment of the Jews (cf. Section
9.1.1.4, which shows this problem discussed in a theater play). Not only during
the Nazi regime, but already in the first half of the 18 th century German Masonry
175 Cf. Kischke, p. 36/37.
176 Cf. CME, p. 284.
177 Cf. ibid.