Cicco Simonetta
Encyclopedia
Francesco Simonetta (1410 - 30 October 1480) was an Italian Renaissance statesman. He also is remembered for composing an early treatise on cryptography
.
, Calabria
, and received a fine education. He studied Latin, Greek
, Hebrew
, and other languages and graduated in civil and canonic law, presumably in Naples
.
As a young man, he entered the service of the Sforza family as a secretary to condottiero Francesco Sforza and rapidly rose to the top of the administration. He was soon placed in charge of the city of Lodi.
In 1441, Francesco Sforza married Bianca Maria Visconti
(1425–1468), illegitimate daughter of Filippo Maria Visconti
, 3rd Duke of Milan. On Filippo’s death (1447), the so-called Ambrosian Republic
had been set up in Milan
by the patrician families. In 1450, Francesco Sforza, backed by the Venetians, laid siege to Milan to combat the aristocrats. The city surrendered after eight months and Francesco made himself ‘‘Capitano del popolo.’’ He was proclaimed duke
by the people and by right of his wife.
Simonetta was nominated "golden knight" and entered the ducal chancellery. This appointment was the beginning of his undisputed domination of the political situation for thirty years. As a reward for his services, he was given the fief of Sartirana
, in Lomellina
, which he administered with competency and care. He soon became a member of the Secret Council. When he married Elisabetta Visconti in 1452 his fame was widespread.
In 1456, he received the honorary citizenship of Novara
, which was later followed by those of Lodi and Parma
. In 1465, he wrote the Constitutiones et Ordines as a contribution to a better organization of the chancellery, over which he now had complete control.
At the death of Francesco Sforza (1466) his son Galeazzo Maria
succeeded him. His mother Bianca Maria and the other influential families did not approve of his capricious conduct of the state affairs, but Simonetta sided with Galeazzo.
In 1474 Simonetta wrote his Rules for Decrypting Enciphered Documents Without a Key, presumably for use by his collaborators, although no evidence exists of actual utilization of these rules in the field.
In 1476, Galeazzo was assassinated and was succeeded by his 7-year-old son Gian Galeazzo
. His tutor was his mother, Bona of Savoy
. In this period of unrest, Simonetta's diplomatic activity was intense. He maneuvered in order to maintain stability in the Milanese state during the endemic conflicts between Guelphs, Ghibellines and the various wars and interstate alliances.
The next year he became ducal secretary, with the powers of a prime minister. Simonetta's power provoked the hatred of Ludovico il Moro (1452–1508), one of the younger brothers of Galeazzo, who plotted to seize the duchy. The main obstacle to his project was the presence of Cicco Simonetta in the city government. After many personal vicissitudes, Ludovico managed to gain the confidence of the duchess and convinced her to arrest Simonetta.
He was accused falsely of treason
, imprisoned, and tortured in Pavia. His house and assets were pillaged, and he was beheaded
in the tower of the castle. His body was buried in the cloister
of Sant’Apollinare, outside the Milan
city walls, to mark the end of his influence in the Milanese politics.
During the Sforza rule, the duchy had enjoyed years of prosperity and great expansion despite the political turmoil. Important buildings were erected in the cities; the farming of rice and the silk industry were introduced in agriculture. Along with the advent of printing Milan had become a cultural center unequaled in all Europe, until it fell into foreign hands after the death of Ludovico il Moro.
Presently a fragment of his tombstone and the name of a narrow street in Milan are the only visible testimonials of this outstanding public figure in the tumultuous scenery of the 15th century in Italy.
His work is in reality a collection of hints for solving ciphers that were rather old-fashioned at that time. Contemporary cipher clerks were well equipped to defy the tricks he described. Nomenclators were in general use, combining small codebooks and large substitution tables with homophones and nulls (See figure 4).
His cipher-breaking rules are applicable to dispatches with word divisions, without homophones, nulls or code words. He says nothing of polyalphabetic substitution or the existence of nomenclators. His notes were anticipated by Leon Battista Alberti in his theoretical, but more comprehensive treatise De Cifris
, which earned him the title of Father of Western Cryptology.
It was only a century later that a scientific treatise entirely devoted to cryptanalysis was written by the French mathematician François Viète
. Simonetta might have been involved in cipher work in his early career, but no evidence of such activity has been found.
Cryptography
Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties...
.
Biography
Francesco, nicknamed Cicco, was born in CaccuriCaccuri
Caccuri is a commune and town in the province of Crotone in Calabria, southern Italy.It is the birthplace of Renaissance statesman Cicco Simonetta.-Main sights:...
, Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
, and received a fine education. He studied Latin, Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, and other languages and graduated in civil and canonic law, presumably in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
.
As a young man, he entered the service of the Sforza family as a secretary to condottiero Francesco Sforza and rapidly rose to the top of the administration. He was soon placed in charge of the city of Lodi.
In 1441, Francesco Sforza married Bianca Maria Visconti
Bianca Maria Visconti
Bianca Maria Visconti was Duchess of Milan from 1450 to 1468.-Early years:Born near Settimo Pavese, Bianca Maria was the illegitimate daughter of Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan and last of the Visconti rulers, and Agnese del Maino, the only person the shy, secluded Filippo ever loved...
(1425–1468), illegitimate daughter of Filippo Maria Visconti
Filippo Maria Visconti
Filippo Maria Visconti was ruler of Milan from 1412 to 1447.-Biography:Filippo Maria Visconti, who had become nominal ruler of Pavia in 1402, succeeded his assassinated brother Gian Maria Visconti as Duke of Milan in 1412. They were the sons of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Gian Maria's predecessor, by...
, 3rd Duke of Milan. On Filippo’s death (1447), the so-called Ambrosian Republic
Ambrosian Republic
The Golden Ambrosian Republic was a short-lived government founded in Milan by members of the University of Pavia with popular support...
had been set up in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
by the patrician families. In 1450, Francesco Sforza, backed by the Venetians, laid siege to Milan to combat the aristocrats. The city surrendered after eight months and Francesco made himself ‘‘Capitano del popolo.’’ He was proclaimed duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
by the people and by right of his wife.
Simonetta was nominated "golden knight" and entered the ducal chancellery. This appointment was the beginning of his undisputed domination of the political situation for thirty years. As a reward for his services, he was given the fief of Sartirana
Sartirana Lomellina
Sartirana Lomellina is a comune in the Province of Pavia in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 60 km southwest of Milan and about 40 km west of Pavia...
, in Lomellina
Lomellina
The Lomellina is a geographical and historical area in the Pianura Padana of northern Italy, located in south-western Lombardy between the Sesia, Po and Ticino rivers....
, which he administered with competency and care. He soon became a member of the Secret Council. When he married Elisabetta Visconti in 1452 his fame was widespread.
In 1456, he received the honorary citizenship of Novara
Novara
Novara is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With c. 105,000 inhabitants, it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is an important crossroads for commercial traffic along the routes from Milan to Turin...
, which was later followed by those of Lodi and Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
. In 1465, he wrote the Constitutiones et Ordines as a contribution to a better organization of the chancellery, over which he now had complete control.
At the death of Francesco Sforza (1466) his son Galeazzo Maria
Galeazzo Maria Sforza
Galeazzo Maria Sforza was Duke of Milan from 1466 until his death. He was famous for being lustful, cruel and tyrannical....
succeeded him. His mother Bianca Maria and the other influential families did not approve of his capricious conduct of the state affairs, but Simonetta sided with Galeazzo.
In 1474 Simonetta wrote his Rules for Decrypting Enciphered Documents Without a Key, presumably for use by his collaborators, although no evidence exists of actual utilization of these rules in the field.
In 1476, Galeazzo was assassinated and was succeeded by his 7-year-old son Gian Galeazzo
Gian Galeazzo Sforza
Gian Galeazzo Sforza was the sixth Duke of Milan.Born in Abbiategrasso, he was only 7 years old when in 1476 his father, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, was assassinated and Gian Galeazzo became the Duke of Milan...
. His tutor was his mother, Bona of Savoy
Bona of Savoy
Bona of Savoy, Duchess of Milan was a the second spouse of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan and a member of the noble Italian House of Savoy. She served as regent of Milan during the minority of her son 1476–1481....
. In this period of unrest, Simonetta's diplomatic activity was intense. He maneuvered in order to maintain stability in the Milanese state during the endemic conflicts between Guelphs, Ghibellines and the various wars and interstate alliances.
The next year he became ducal secretary, with the powers of a prime minister. Simonetta's power provoked the hatred of Ludovico il Moro (1452–1508), one of the younger brothers of Galeazzo, who plotted to seize the duchy. The main obstacle to his project was the presence of Cicco Simonetta in the city government. After many personal vicissitudes, Ludovico managed to gain the confidence of the duchess and convinced her to arrest Simonetta.
He was accused falsely of treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
, imprisoned, and tortured in Pavia. His house and assets were pillaged, and he was beheaded
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
in the tower of the castle. His body was buried in the cloister
Cloister
A cloister is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth...
of Sant’Apollinare, outside the Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
city walls, to mark the end of his influence in the Milanese politics.
During the Sforza rule, the duchy had enjoyed years of prosperity and great expansion despite the political turmoil. Important buildings were erected in the cities; the farming of rice and the silk industry were introduced in agriculture. Along with the advent of printing Milan had become a cultural center unequaled in all Europe, until it fell into foreign hands after the death of Ludovico il Moro.
Presently a fragment of his tombstone and the name of a narrow street in Milan are the only visible testimonials of this outstanding public figure in the tumultuous scenery of the 15th century in Italy.
Decrypting rules
Cicco Simonetta has been described in the cryptological literature as an important cryptanalyst in consideration of his rules.His work is in reality a collection of hints for solving ciphers that were rather old-fashioned at that time. Contemporary cipher clerks were well equipped to defy the tricks he described. Nomenclators were in general use, combining small codebooks and large substitution tables with homophones and nulls (See figure 4).
His cipher-breaking rules are applicable to dispatches with word divisions, without homophones, nulls or code words. He says nothing of polyalphabetic substitution or the existence of nomenclators. His notes were anticipated by Leon Battista Alberti in his theoretical, but more comprehensive treatise De Cifris
Alberti cipher
- Leon Battista Alberti :Created in the 15th century , it was the peak of cryptography at that time. Its inventor was Leon Battista Alberti, an illegitimate son of an Italian nobleman. He was also interested in painting and writing, though he is probably best known for his architecture...
, which earned him the title of Father of Western Cryptology.
It was only a century later that a scientific treatise entirely devoted to cryptanalysis was written by the French mathematician François Viète
François Viète
François Viète , Seigneur de la Bigotière, was a French mathematician whose work on new algebra was an important step towards modern algebra, due to its innovative use of letters as parameters in equations...
. Simonetta might have been involved in cipher work in his early career, but no evidence of such activity has been found.