Talk about strong encryption. It took five centuries to untangle the code in a letter written by a previously unknown collaborator in a famous Italian Renaissance murder plot.The Pazzi conspiracy, named for a wealthy Florentine banking family, was audacious. Its targets: Lorenzo de’ Medici and his brother Giuliano, who were ruling elites in Florence. The place: The city’s cathedral, during high Mass on April 26, 1478. The goal: End the Medici rule over Florence while giving Pope Sixtus IV more power in the region.The plot failed?Lorenzo survived his stab wound, though Giuliano died, the Columbia Encyclopedia tells us. The Medici’s reign continued. Florentines hunted down the conspirators to exact revenge. Except that they missed one. Now, 526 years after the deed, Marcello Simonetta, a Wesleyan University Romance language professor, has uncovered and then deciphered an encrypted letter written by one Federico da Montefeltro, the Duke of Urbino, a prominent politician and famous art collector. The duke, it turns out, was a key coconspirator who offered troops to Sixtus IV to help kill the Medicis. He sent the letter two months before the murder. The duke “was known as one of the most refined men of the Renaissance,” Simonetta told The New York Times. That was before the professor cracked the code. Related content brandpost Sponsored by AWS in collaboration with IBM How digital twin technology is changing complex industrial processes forever As the use cases for digital twins proliferate, it is becoming clear that data-driven enterprises with a track record of innovation stand the best chance of success. By Laura McEwan Dec 05, 2023 4 mins Digital Transformation brandpost Sponsored by AWS in collaboration with IBM Why modernising applications needs to be a ‘must’ for businesses seeking growth Around one-third of enterprises are spending heavily on application modernisation and aiming for cloud native status. The implications for corporate culture, structure and priorities will be profound. By Laura McEwan Dec 05, 2023 5 mins Digital Transformation opinion 11 ways to reduce your IT costs now Reorienting IT’s budget toward future opportunities is a big reason why CIOs should review their IT portfolios with an eye toward curbing unnecessary spending and realizing maximum value from every IT investment. By Stephanie Overby Dec 05, 2023 11 mins Budget Cloud Management IT Governance news analysis SAP faces breakdown in trust over innovation plans The company’s plan to offer future innovations in S/4HANA only to subscribers of its Rise with SAP offering is alienating customers, user conference hears. By Peter Sayer Dec 05, 2023 6 mins SAP Cloud Management Innovation Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe