BnF fr.4715 in the French archives contains many materials in cipher (ca.1586-1593), including undeciphered ones.
I posted them in Undeciphered Letters in BnF fr.4715 in July.
Although I had solved some, no.59, no.61, and no.62 remain undeciphered. Also, no.38 seems to be in an interesting polyphonic cipher but I'm not sure yet.
If someone solves any of these, please let me know.
29/11/2018
Two ciphers used in the first year of the reign of Philip II of Spain
I updated “Spanish Ciphers during the Reign of Philip II”.
Specifically, I found examples of use of two ciphers before Cg.1. Both
(“Suarez de Figueroa Cipher (1556)” and “Imperial Cipher of 1555”)
turned out to be ones printed in Meister.
The earliest example I found of the Imperial Cipher of 1555 is from November 1555, after accession of Philip II. Since this is before Philip II expressed his resolution on 24 May 1556 to change the cipher of his father’s reign, I still think the Imperial Cipher of 1555 was inherited from Charles V’s reign. But there remains a possibility that this was created upon the new reign.
As for the Suarez de Figueroa Cipher (1556), both my reconstruction and the version printed in Meister are incomplete. Since there are undeciphered paragraphs in this cipher, further symbols may be identified by those versed in Spanish. (The struckout over the ciphertext shows it was deciphered by the recipient (or her clerk). A deciphered copy may be found somewhere in the archives.)
The earliest example I found of the Imperial Cipher of 1555 is from November 1555, after accession of Philip II. Since this is before Philip II expressed his resolution on 24 May 1556 to change the cipher of his father’s reign, I still think the Imperial Cipher of 1555 was inherited from Charles V’s reign. But there remains a possibility that this was created upon the new reign.
As for the Suarez de Figueroa Cipher (1556), both my reconstruction and the version printed in Meister are incomplete. Since there are undeciphered paragraphs in this cipher, further symbols may be identified by those versed in Spanish. (The struckout over the ciphertext shows it was deciphered by the recipient (or her clerk). A deciphered copy may be found somewhere in the archives.)
Spanish Ciphers: 1470-1479
In mid November, I uploaded “Spanish Ciphers before Accession of King Ferdinand: 1470-1479” at Academia.edu.
While the nineteenth-century historian Bergenroth once said Spanish ciphers were “simple and primitive” for about fifteen years after 1480, Spanish ciphers before 1480 are found in archives. I reconstructed Spanish ciphers used by Ferdinand the Catholic in letters to his father, King John II of Aragon in the 1470s. Two of them turned out to be rather complex.
New specimens of ciphered letters of Charles V’s time
I updated “Ciphers during the Reign of Emperor Charles V”.
Additional specimens I found in the Spanish archives necessitated the change in my appellations:
(old) the Imperial Cipher of 1547-1553
(new) the Imperial Cipher of 1544-1554
(old) the Imperial Cipher of 1548
(new) the Doria-Figueroa-Philip Cipher (1548)
As for the latter, the new specimens of this period seem to show this was not used widely. So I demoted the name.
When there are so many different ciphers, it is difficult to think of names to unambiguously specify particular ciphers. Ideally, I would like a name such as Leyva’s Cipher of 1536 if the creator’s name and date of creation were known. Alternatively, a name like Charles V-Prince Philip Cipher (1543-1544) is fine if the users and period of use were known and if information is not sufficient, the name is inevitably a provisional one. If a reasonably exhaustive catalogue can be made, simply the catalogue number may suffice.
Additional specimens I found in the Spanish archives necessitated the change in my appellations:
(old) the Imperial Cipher of 1547-1553
(new) the Imperial Cipher of 1544-1554
(old) the Imperial Cipher of 1548
(new) the Doria-Figueroa-Philip Cipher (1548)
As for the latter, the new specimens of this period seem to show this was not used widely. So I demoted the name.
When there are so many different ciphers, it is difficult to think of names to unambiguously specify particular ciphers. Ideally, I would like a name such as Leyva’s Cipher of 1536 if the creator’s name and date of creation were known. Alternatively, a name like Charles V-Prince Philip Cipher (1543-1544) is fine if the users and period of use were known and if information is not sufficient, the name is inevitably a provisional one. If a reasonably exhaustive catalogue can be made, simply the catalogue number may suffice.
Experimenting with a new blog platform
I plan to start a blog to report updates on my website: Cryptiana: Articles on Historical Cryptography and to solicit information for further updates.
I'm still experimenting with this platform.
First, I tried WordPress but its basic plan does not allow readers' subscription.
I'm going to move the few posts at WordPress here.
I'm still experimenting with this platform.
First, I tried WordPress but its basic plan does not allow readers' subscription.
I'm going to move the few posts at WordPress here.
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