Notable figures

Notable figures

• Christian Rosenkreuz 1378–1484 (legendary)
  Putative founder of the brotherhood

  The figure to whom the original manifestos attribute the founding of the brotherhood, said to have travelled in the Middle East before returning to Germany to establish the order. No independent historical record of him exists, and he is generally treated by historians as a literary creation.

• Johann Valentin Andreae 1586–1654
  Acknowledged author of the Chymical Wedding

  Lutheran theologian and reformer at Tübingen who acknowledged authorship of The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreuz as a youthful work. He is regarded by most modern scholars as the principal figure behind the Rosicrucian manifestos.

• H. Spencer Lewis 1883–1939
  Founder of AMORC

  American occultist who established the Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC) in 1915. AMORC remains the largest of the modern public Rosicrucian organisations.