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They inspired a variety of works by Michael Maier, Robert Fludd, Elias Ashmole, Teophilus Schweighardt Constantiens, Gotthardus Arthusius, Julius Sperber, Henricus Madathanus, Gabriel Naudé, Thomas Vaughan and others. The manifestos, and their declaration of the existence of a secret brotherhood of alchemists and sages who were preparing to transform the arts, sciences (including alchemy), religion, and political and intellectual landscape of Europe, caused immense excitement throughout a Europe ravaged by wars of politics and religion, and were reprinted many times. The first Rosicrucian manifestos were clearly influenced by the work of the respected Hermetic philosopher Heinrich Khunrath of Hamburg, who was in turn influenced by the English occultist John Dee.

Some believe Rosenkreutz to be a pseudonym for a more famous historical figure, perhaps Sir Francis Bacon, and many see the legend as largely metaphorical in nature. They claimed occult powers and to have obtained the secrets of enlightenment, and foretold a forthcoming reformation of the age and a return to a state of grace, employing the terminology of alchemy to expound their mystical doctrines. This brotherhood of (initially eight) sworn bachelors and virgins undertook to heal the sick without payment, to maintain the secret fellowship “for 100 years”, to meet once a year at a temple called the Spiritus Sanctus, and to find a replacement before their own death. Rosenkreutz was alleged to have lived from 1378 to 1484, learned alchemy and esoteric wisdom in the Middle East under various masters and, on returning to Germany, founded a secret order known as the Fraternity of the Rose Cross.

The manifestos presented the legend of a German doctor and mystic philosopher, referred to initially as “Frater CRC” and later identified as Christian Rosenkreutz (or Rosenkreuz), a name meaning “Roses Cross”. The inspiration for the order dates back to three anonymous manifestos published in Germany between 16, the “Fama Fraternitatis RC” (“The Fame of the Brotherhood of RC”), the “Confessio Fraternitatis” (“The Confession of the Brotherhood of RC”), and the “Chymische Hochzeit Christiani Rosencreutz” (“The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz”). The order, which has many different traditions and variations, adopted the Rose Cross or Rosy Cross (a cross with a rose at its centre) as its symbol, which has several variations, several meanings depending on its source, and many layers of symbolism.

Rosicrucianism is a secret society of mystics, allegedly formed in late medieval Germany, devoted to the study of ancient mystical, philosophical and religious doctrines and concerned with the application of these doctrines to modern life.