Updated November 10, 2021 8.1K votes 1.7K voters 55.8K views
Over 1.7K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of Secret Societies From History You'd Most Want to Infiltrate
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Vote up the secret societies you'd sign blood oaths with the fastest.
From the Illuminati to the Freemasons, and the Knights Templar to the Knights of Malta, historical secret societies have long been the stuff of world-domination rumors. But what are the best secret societies to join? That really depends on what you're looking for from your clandestine organization. As for how to join a secret society and make money, you'll have to figure that one out for yourself.
Did the Knights Templar really join an occult society? Were the Sons of Liberty actually behind the Boston Tea Party? And what about how to become Illuminati? These secret societies from history have been alleged to pull the world's strings from behind the scenes, from the mysterious Flat Hat Club to the violent Molly Maguires.
What Is It: Dating back to 1085, the Knights of Malta started as a group of monks who cared for patients at a Jerusalem hospital. The organization transitioned into a military order to defend crusaders. Unlike other secret societies, the Knights of Malta had their own island – Malta. Holy Roman Emperor Charles V gifted them the island of Malta in 1530, and Napoleon took it away in 1798.
Famous Members:
Alexander III of Russia
Charles I of Austria
Konrad Adenauer
Why You Should Infiltrate: So they're actually more a humanitarian religious order than a secret society, but the Knights of Malta battled the Barbary pirates, fought off Suleiman the Magnificent, and tried to kill Hitler, which is pretty cool.
What Is It: They met at night under the Liberty Tree in Boston. The Sons of Liberty, dating back to 1765, were a secret society that resisted British rule over the American colonies. In a single night of rioting against a British loyalist, they caused £2,200 worth of damage.
Why You Should Infiltrate: Most secret societies can't claim responsibility for a revolution (okay, maybe the Illuminati). The Sons of Liberty carried out the Boston Tea Party in 1773, which became a catalyst for the American Revolution.
What Is It: The Freemasons date all the way back to 1390, with roots in medieval stonemason's guilds. And multiple Founding Fathers were members, with George Washington swearing his oath of office on the Bible of the St. John's Masonic Lodge No. 1 of New York.
Why You Should Infiltrate: Over one third of US Presidents have been Masons, so that gives you pretty good odds for becoming powerful. But do the Masons control the world? Mason historian Robert Cooper says, "If we’re a secret society, how do you know about us?” Unless that's what they want us to think...
What Is It: The Knights Templar, a crusader organization, dates back to 1118, but in the early 1300s, members were arrested and tortured in France on charges of devil worship. Dozens were burned at the stake for treason.
Why You Should Infiltrate: According to historians, the Knights Templar vanished 700 years ago, after being accused of spitting on the cross and committing homosexual acts. But did they really vanish? Conspiracy theories claim that the Knights Templar guard the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant, and other religious artifacts.
What Is It: Dating back to 1695, the International Order of Saint Hubertus brought together the greatest aristocratic hunters of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Count Anton von Sporck founded the society, but its real claim to fame didn't come until the 20th century. The order made headlines in 2016 when it was rumored that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was meeting with the secret society members when he died.
Famous Members:
Count Anton von Sporck
Antonin Scalia
Why You Should Infiltrate: In 1938, the order refused to accept Nazis as members, enraging Adolf Hilter and Herman Goering. The former banned the society, while the latter executed the organization's Grand Prior.
What Is It: The Independent Order of Odd Fellows started for people who were too lazy for the long initiation process to become Freemasons. The future George IV reportedly founded the secret club in 1810 when an impatient relative was refused Freemason membership; however, some of the Odd Fellows own records date their origins to around 587 BCE and exiled Israelites in Babylon. Needless to say, it became one of the most popular secret clubs for British politicians.
Famous Members:
George IV
Winston Churchill
Stanley Baldwin
Why You Should Infiltrate: In 1834, six members of the outlawed Odd Fellows society were sent to an Australian penal colony for their membership. If it's worth a life sentence, it must be pretty cool.
