Trove of coded letters written by an imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots are cracked
Around 55 messages composed by the monarch reveal her condition under captivity and negotiations for her release.
Researchers have discovered more than 50 coded letters written by Mary Stuart, better known as Mary Queen of Scots.
Stored among a collection of enciphered documents in the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris, they were composed
The Art Newspaper
February 8, 2023
© Courtesy of V&A
between 1578 and 1584, while Mary was imprisoned by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. “This is the most significant discovery of letters from Mary Stuart in recent years,” say George Lasry, Norbert Biermann, and Satoshi Tomokiyo, the research team that cracked the code.
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