Archive Proximity

[Mark Knowles]

I like this approach. there were 14 results for "cifr". I didn't include all of the variant spellings or all 14 "cifr_".

(4/14):
19. “Montobio” 1455, 20 ottobre
Lettera in gran parte cifrata di Giovanni Filippo Fieschi al duca di
Genova.
19. “Montobio,” October 20, 1455
Largely ciphered letter from Giovanni Filippo Fieschi to the Duke of
Genoa.

(6/14)
11. Genova 1456, 29 aprile Lettera, con alcuni brani cifrati, di Corrado Stanga al duca di Milano. (Informazioni sul comportamento di personaggi genovesi). cc. 2

11. Genoa, April 29, 1456
Letter, containing some ciphered passages, from Corrado Stanga to the Duke of
Milan.
(Information regarding the conduct of prominent Genoese figures).
2 folios

(7/14)
"28. Castelletto 1456, 7 luglio Antonio Lanzo a Guglielmo suo fratello. (Due esemplari). (Arresto di un corriere del Doge che si reva in Francia con lettere, capitoli e documenti cifrati). c. 1

28. Castelletto, July 7, 1456
Antonio Lanzo to Guglielmo, his brother.
(Two copies). (Arrest of a courier of the Doge traveling to
France with letters, articles, and ciphered documents).
fol. 1

(8/14):
20. Genova 1456, 27 settembre Pietro Cotta a Cico Simoneta di Calabria, segretario del duca di Milano. (Protesta per gli errori commessi dagli estensori dei messaggi cifrati).

20. Genoa 1456, September 27
Pietro Cotta to Cico Simoneta of Calabria, secretary to the Duke of
Milan.
(Protest over the errors made by the writers of the
encrypted messages).

(9/14):
25. Genova 1456, 5 ottobre
Pietro Cott al duca di Milano
(Comunicazioni cifrate relative al possibile accordo tra i Francesi e
il Doge).

25. Genoa, October 5, 1456
Pietro Cott to the Duke of Milan
(Coded dispatches concerning the possible agreement between the French and
the Doge).
2 folios

(10/14):
26. Genova 1456, 6 ottobre
Lettera cifrata di Pietro Cotta al duca di Milano
(Notizie sulle pratiche francesi in Genova).
c. 1

26. Genoa, October 6, 1456
Coded letter from Pietro Cotta to the Duke of Milan
(Information regarding French intrigues in Genoa).
fol. 1

(11/14):
30. Genova 1456, 16 ottobre
Lettera cifrata di Pietro Cotta e di Giovanni della Guardia al duca
di Milano.
(Notizie in genere sulla situazione in Genova).
c. 1

30. Genoa, October 16, 1456
Coded letter from Pietro Cotta and Giovanni della Guardia to the Duke
of Milan.
(General intelligence regarding the situation in Genoa).
fol. 1

(12/14):
40. Genova 1456, 12 novembre Lettera cifrata di Pietro Cotta al duca di Milano. (Il Re d'Aragona arma 13 navi per l'impresa di Genova. I Doria e gli Adorno alleati contro il Doge). c. 1

40. Genoa, November 12, 1456
Coded letter from Pietro Cotta to the Duke of Milan.
(The King of Aragon is arming 13 ships for the expedition against Genoa. The Doria and Adorno families are allied against the Doge.)
c. 1

(13/14):
41. Genova 1456, 12 novembre “hora 4 noctis”
Lettera cifrata di Pietro Cotta al duca di Milano.
(Relazione d'un colloquio avuto col Doge).
c. 1

41. Genoa, November 12, 1456, “at the fourth hour of the night”
Coded letter from Pietro Cotta to the Duke of Milan.
(Account of a conversation held with the Doge).
fol. 1

(14/14):
49. Genova 1456, 28 novembre Lettera cifrata di Pietro Cotta al duca di Milano (Il Doge invia segretamente il proprio fratello a trattare col Re d'Aragona).

49. Genoa, November 28, 1456
Ciphered letter from Pietro Cotta to the Duke of Milan
(The Doge secretly dispatches his own brother to negotiate with the King
of Aragon).
c. 1

The problem with those letters is the date. We have great riches of examples of Milanese ciphers from the 2nd half of the 15th century. We have lots of enciphered letters in the Archivio di Stato di Milano and we have the Tranchedino Cipher Ledger in Vienna(and the Albertoni Cipher Ledger in Cremona). However, in large part due to the 1447 fire in the Chancellery in Milan we have a poverty of examples of Milanese ciphers from the first half the 15th century. There are a few examples, but you can count them on the fingers of at most 2 hands. I suspect also that ciphers were probably used less often in the Milanese chancellery in the 1st half of the 15th century than in the 2nd half of the 15th century when Francesco Sforza became Duke and Cicco Simonetta his chancellor. The examples we have from the first half of the 15th century are: the 1397 enciphered letter in the Sercambi book, the 1424 enciphered letters in the Florence Archives and a few from 1440 onwards. I am very interested in seeing examples of Milanese ciphers from between 1425 and 1439 especially from the period 1425 to 1433 when Francesco Barbavara was head of the Milan Chancellery given that I associate the Barbavara with the Voynich. The sophistication of the 1424 cipher justifies an interest in Milanese ciphers of this period.