All-Russian Emperor Alexander I, in his rescript addressed to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, ordered to ban the activities of all secret societies on the territory of Russia.
It seems meaningless because with the same success it was possible to cancel, say, a thunderstorm, flood or snow by the highest decree. Because the vague and illiterate definition of “any secret society” includes, for example, a standard gang of bandits, which is pointless to ban. But Alexander was not aiming for the world of crime. He cared about people who in those days were spoken of with genuine fear, and in ours - more and more with ridicule. Specifically, the Masons.
Everyone is in the box!
By the way, those who mock people who look for a conspiracy of secret societies in any problem demonstrate a low level of intelligence. If only because denying its influence both on everyday life and on the course of history is a sign of outright stupidity.
Two hundred years ago no one found it funny. At that time, the Freemasons really ruled, if not the whole world, then certainly the Russian Empire. Moreover, they controlled it not gradually, but directly.
Here are the tsar’s closest associates, who made up the so-called Secret Committee, which made important and fundamental decisions in the “Alexander’s wonderful beginning”: Adam Czartoryski, Minister of Foreign Affairs, member of the “Great East of Poland” lodge; Viktor Kochubey, Minister of Internal Affairs, member of the Minerva Lodge; Nikolai Novosiltsev, President of the Academy of Sciences, Comrade Minister of Justice, member of the United Friends lodge.
This committee ruled the empire quite dashingly - many historians are firmly convinced that it was to it that Russia owed its descent into a whole series of Napoleonic wars, which ended in the difficult and devastating Patriotic War of 1812. These are only the immediate consequences of the Masonic style of management. Something came back to haunt me a little later. For example, the deceitful, beautiful-hearted initiatives of Alexander himself, who, by the way, was also a member of the Masonic lodge. The emperor was so carried away by the ideas of the “universal good” that in one of the memoranda, which were read to the Russian people in all Orthodox (!) churches, he directly ordered: “Recognize yourself, the Prussians and Austrians as people of the same faith and subjects of one king - Christ.” There are no words - very high and noble. However, it was not him, but his successors, who had to deal with the betrayal and disgust of these “brothers of the same faith.”
And some things have to be sorted out even now. Anyone who has encountered idiotic manifestations of political correctness, when a Negro has to be called an African-American, and a fool - a representative of the intellectual majority, should thank the Freemasons for this. Including the lodge “United Friends,” whose members set as their goal “to erase differences between people of race, class, and beliefs, to destroy national and mental differences.”
Masonic mafia
Fortunately, the emperor, frightened by the scope and influence of the Freemasons, soon came to his senses. Not the least role in this was played by the memos of Senator Yegor Kushelev, who, himself a Freemason, was horrified by the state of affairs: “Currently, the lodges are filled with mostly despicable people, one might say, complete bastards!”
The rest of society was also intimidated by the Masons. Thus, the writer Sergei Aksakov, the author of “The Childhood Years of Bagrov the Grandson” and “The Scarlet Flower,” left interesting memories. Masons from the Dying Sphinx Lodge asked him to get the archive of their comrade who committed suicide. According to the laws of that time, all papers of a suicide were subject to confiscation. And Aksakov simply composed a “rare manuscript”, filling it with blatant rubbish. The Masons were delighted with the manuscript, but Aksakov had the imprudence to tell his friend about it. The reaction was unexpected. “You didn’t tell anyone? No? God save you if you spill the beans! If the Masons find out your deception, you are lost!
In short, the emperor suddenly realized that his subjects feared and respected the Masons almost more than they did himself. Having broken with Freemasonry, he issued the same rescript, according to which every government official who was a member of the lodge by that time must do the same as the emperor himself - cease membership. Those suspected of dishonesty were expelled from government service.
I must say that Alexander was almost late. A conspiracy was indeed being prepared, as evidenced by the uprising of the Decembrists, almost all of whom were Freemasons. The rest of the population of the empire breathed a sigh of relief - the terrible “mafia” was defeated, leaving in the popular consciousness only the offensive word “farmazon” (distorted “freemason”), denoting a dangerous swindler. It’s funny that in the parks of Tsarskoye Selo, where the department for Masonic affairs was located, for several post-revolutionary years the same pharmacists who robbed and killed passers-by at night found refuge.
Already in modern times, Freemasons created texts in which they proved the ancient origin of their order. If you ask who the Freemasons are and what they do, you will notice that they are seriously different from their predecessors. The first texts, created in the late Middle Ages in England, talked about the ancient craft of stone masonry and the discovery of its secret by English craftsmen. After the formation of the London Lodge, the history of the order began in biblical times. The appearance of Freemasons (experts in the secret of masonry) in England was attributed to the era of King Athelstan (10th century).
In England in the 13th - 14th centuries, documents recorded the appearance of the name “Masons” as a designation for masons. Documents also refer to them as "Freemasons", which may mean that the masons were not enslaved or serfs.
A Master Mason had to receive a good education in adolescence: learn Latin, serve as a page to a knight in order to learn manners. Afterwards he studied the profession of a mason and geometry. As a youth, a Freemason received journeyman status and was required to produce a “masterpiece” (construction or design work) to obtain the status of a skilled worker.
To become a master, a mason had to complete some large and significant project. Master Masons are mentioned in documents as leaders of work with a high social status. Those receiving this status went through an initiation rite, the details of which were kept secret.
Already in the Middle Ages, Masonic lodges were mentioned as organizations of masons. In the 16th - 17th centuries, their members were people who had nothing to do with the craft of masons. Among them were philosophers, alchemists, and nobles (“high-ranking disciples”).
Gradually, those admitted to the fraternities became guardians of the traditions of the lodges of free masons. Practicing masons, on the contrary, forgot them, concentrating on their direct activities. The traditions and teachings of medieval masons began to be reinterpreted and laid the foundations for the esoteric society of Freemasons.
The Beginning of Speculative Freemasonry
In 1717, four London lodges, whose names were derived from the taverns where their members met, merged to form the Grand Lodge of London. Its members began to collect materials on the history of Freemasonry. In 1723, the “Book of Charters” was published, which included a list of the duties of the Freemasons and information on the history of the brotherhood.
Most English lodges continued to maintain independence from the London one and even criticize it. In 1753, the opposition created their own “Grand Lodge”. They showed respect for the old rules, and their charter was a pamphlet against the "Book of Charters" of the Londoners. In 1813, both organizations created the United Grand Lodge and two years later - a new charter.
Under the influence of the British, their own Masonic lodges appeared in Ireland and Scotland. After 1649, Freemasonry entered France with English emigrants.
In the 18th century, lodges of the “Scottish” type and new ones, subordinate to the Great London, operated in France. The number of Masonic societies in the kingdom grew throughout the 18th century - by 1771 their number exceeded 300. Only a few of them were recognized by the Grand Lodge of London. In 1738, the French aristocrat Louis de Pardallan was elected Grand Master of the Kingdom of France. In 1773, French Freemasons founded a national lodge - the Grand Orient of France.
Masons were not persecuted and enjoyed public interest. Members of the lodges included representatives of the most distinguished families, including the Counts of Provence and Artois, who would later become Kings Louis XVIII and Charles X. It was said that King Louis XV himself was a member of the lodge.
In the 1720s, Masonic lodges appeared in Spain, in the 1730s - in Italy, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Portugal and India. In 1733, the American Provincial Grand Lodge began operating in Boston. In the Netherlands, their activities were soon banned.
In 1756 mainland Freemasonry was organized into the so-called orthodox system. The order's territory was divided into nine provinces and covered the whole of Europe. Members of the order were divided into six degrees. In addition to these, in the 1760s and 1770s, there were higher degrees of initiated Masons and Great Professed Masons. They managed the affairs of the order, remaining unknown to ordinary members.
Lodges appeared in Russia after the era of Peter I. In 1731, the first great master was appointed in the country. In 1792 and 1822, the activities of Freemasons in Russia were prohibited by imperial decrees. The revival of Freemasonry in the country began at the beginning of the 20th century.
Who are the Masons and what do they do today?
Freemasonry is, first of all, an ethical system. Membership in a Masonic lodge presupposes that a person is a believer in one of the world's religions. Some Masonic legends are based on the Old Testament.
Members of the Masonic organization must engage in moral self-improvement. A Mason must improve as a member of a religious denomination. Worship of God, whom they call the Great Architect of the Universe, has been at the core of the ideology since the 18th century. Discussions on religious issues are prohibited among Masons.
Another principle of Freemasonry is a loyal attitude to state power. Masons should not oppose the authorities of the country where their lodge is located.
The main task of this society is charity. Members of Masonic lodges collect money that goes to help orphanages, medical and educational institutions. Members of the fraternity found charitable organizations.
There is a medical research laboratory in the United States, which was founded by the Grand Lodges of the United States. It appeared in 1918, when the United States entered the First World War. After the war, the organization began to open its centers throughout the country and abroad.
Lieutenant Colonel of the Corps of Railway Engineers. Poet. Participant in the Patriotic War of 1812 and foreign campaigns of 1813. During his service in Tomsk (1813-1817), he became close to M.M. Speransky and became his closest collaborator. Decembrist, member of the Northern Society. After the Decembrist uprising, he spent about twenty years in solitary confinement, demonstrating rare courage and self-control. Left “Masonic Memoirs”. He participated in the development of the plan for the uprising on December 14, 1825, speaking out for decisive action and involving the masses in the uprising. He was nominated as a candidate member of the Provisional Government. At the investigation, he presented a statement about belonging to a secret society and agreement with its plans, wrote that the performance on December 14 was “not a rebellion, as to my shame he called it several times, but the first experience of a political revolution in Russia, an experience venerable in everyday life and in the eyes of other enlightened peoples." Of the surviving Decembrists, he suffered the most severe punishment: he was sentenced to eternal hard labor, but was kept from 1827 to 1846 in solitary confinement in the Alekseevsky ravelin of the Peter and Paul Fortress. In the fortress he was not allowed to communicate with anyone; the only books he was allowed to read were the Bible. Member of the “Elect Michael” lodge in 2nd class. Founding member and Grand Secretary of the “Eastern Luminary” lodge in Tomsk, 1818-1819.