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 feature 10 most popular IT certifications for 2023 Certifications are a great way to show employers you have the right IT skills and specializations for the job. These 10 certs are the ones IT pros are most likely to pursue, according to data from Dice. By Sarah K. White May 26, 2023 8 mins Certifications Careers interview Stepping up to the challenge of a global conglomerate CIO role Dr. Amrut Urkude became CIO of Reliance Polyester after his company was acquired by Reliance Industries. He discusses challenges IT leaders face while transitioning from a small company to a large multinational enterprise, and how to overcome them. By Yashvendra Singh May 26, 2023 7 mins Digital Transformation Careers brandpost With the new financial year looming, now is a good time to review your Microsoft 365 licenses By Veronica Lew May 25, 2023 5 mins Lenovo news Alteryx works in generative AI for speedy analytics results OpenAI integration and AI wizardry for report generation are aimed at making Alteryx’s analytics products more accessible. By Jon Gold May 25, 2023 3 mins Analytics 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