Cipher Challenge
Rabenhaupt's Encrypted Letter
Karel Rabenhaupt ze Suché sent this encrypted letter to Landgravine Amalie Elisabeth during the Thirty Years' War in June 1646. Its 369 cipher units, originally separated by dots and shown here with spaces, defeated several modern attempts before a 2020 archival breakthrough. Complete transcription and cryptanalysis, CC BY 4.0
Source & status
- Origin
- Historical cipher
- Solution
- Established
Ciphertext
NN 110 f s1 s2 z s3 W s4 u pp s5 10 f 59 s6 72 369 269 P nn s7 s8 s9 q 18 s10 r 59 22 28 24 20 72 g 49 21 w s11 s12 u f 10 a y s13 59 s14 57 111 72 74 269 M pp 377 s4 z s8 pp s1 18 s12 s7 s16 59 D s17 s11 s18 s10 s12 q 18 49 22 NN 90 f 28 59 21 s19 58 14 376 W CC 90 58 41 s20 D g 60 93 70 N s20 u 129 s21 59 74 s22 58 o h 38 O 396 P s23 10 s24 s25 s21 u 70 24 s24 s12 42 115 100 72 106 129 s17 s11 s6 939 b u y s26 ll s27 s24 II z s16 59 f s28 1011 10 s24 12 M nn s27 b 38 22 s23 57 s22 24 18 a 90 14 g u s14 s27 b 59 22 369 W s9 11 f h s21 59 22 BB s18 c s10 u s20 s4 37 68 q s16 CC 11 D s17 123 107 138 83 21 376 s4 u f NN z s18 u s2 s11 s3 M 100 110 70 q s24 59 90 s29 u s24 p 37 115 s22 q f 100 s13 59 s2 24 s12 s1 b s20 s27 b 369 W pp 277 M 360 pp s4 q N T 975 s2 u W ZZ 90 s29 u s24 100 60 f h 59 s19 58 s14 s30 s1 106 s13 u s14 s1 s12 b 59 h 57 1011 CC 10 913 W a 77 119 P s30 s20 s u t 58 s14 28 83 129 20 24 18 12 59 22 a c s10 s12 h s1 b Q PP 93 70 D s1 129 s22 z s8 20 77 s10 s12 s5 q s u g s19 u s32 77 93 138 120 57 74 P s19 b 12 s13 42 s16 57 XX PP LL s5 57 106 AA 10 z f 129 s28 18 s17 110 125 70 72 b 369 N dd 260