Barbavara Ciphers

[Mark Knowles]

Francesco I Barbavara's cipher key in the Archivio di Stato di Mantova

His 6 nephews, the brothers->

Marcolino Barbavara's enciphered letters in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in the Library of Paris

Francesco II Barbavara intercepted letter referring to ciphers that he sent in the Archivio di Stato di Firenze

Bishop Giovanni Barbavara's cipher key in the Archivio Diocesano di Tortona

Abbot Antonio Barbavara who I associated with the authorship of the Voynich manuscript on the basis of a cartographic theory long before I knew of any connection of his family to cryptography

Nicolino Barbavara, Mayor of Vercelli(No known surviving ciphers)

Pietro Barbavara, Apostolic Protonotary(No known surviving ciphers)

Son of Marcolino->

Scipione Barbavara's cipher key in the Tranchedino Cipher Ledger in the Austrian Library in Vienna

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I am most focused now in locating ciphers written by Francesco II Barbavara.

Unfortunately, I haven't yet seen any surviving document in cipher or not in cipher written by Abbot Antonio. Although, I know a certain amount about him from various sources including his great interest in and collection of varieties of plants as the plaque in the Abbey where he was Abbot states.

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Surviving evidence shows that the chancellery of Milan was responsible for producing the most advanced and innovative ciphers in the world at the time from which the Voynich manuscript was dated. See, in particular, the 1424 intercepted Milanese enciphered letters in the Archivio di Stato di Firenze.

And the Barbavara family were at the centre of Milanese cryptography. Francesco I Barbavara is credited with having created the first modern foreign office under Duke of Milan, Gian Galeazzo Visconti. Francesco II Barbavara was Ducal Secretary and Head of the chancellery of Duke of Milan, Filippo Maria Visconti. Marcolino Barbavara was a prominent diplomat in the government of Filippo Maria Visconti.