PV1B116 Encoding and cryptographic techniques in Late Medieval and Early Modern Times

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2018
Extent and Intensity
0/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Dr. Manfred Hollegger (lecturer), Mgr. Petr Elbel, Ph.D. (deputy)
Dr. Christa Beer (lecturer), Mgr. Petr Elbel, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Petr Elbel, Ph.D.
Department of Auxiliary Historical Sciences and Archive Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Olga Barová
Supplier department: Department of Auxiliary Historical Sciences and Archive Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Mon 22. 10. 12:00–15:40 B2.11, Mon 19. 11. 12:00–15:40 B2.11, Mon 10. 12. 12:00–15:40 B2.11
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 38 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course will be organized as a hands-on seminar, the working language will be English, and the sources will be German (but only some keys, not texts), Latin and Italian (some passive language knowledge to work out the rough meaning will be sufficient, translations into English or English abstracts will be provided). Teamwork (also inter- or transdisciplinary) by participants would be explicitly desirable. After brief introductions to the historical background and the subject itself, in addition to cryptographic techniques we will also hopefully discover various aspects of encoding by asking the w-questions such as Who? When? Why? What? What for?
Learning outcomes
Discussing cryptographic techniques and their background as well as their benefits should lead to deeper insights into the history of diplomacy/diplomatic history, as well as politics around 1500, the history of mentalities, and cultural history.
Syllabus
  • Unit 1: A short historical review on Europe around 1500 – Brief introduction to ciphers – Cryptographic techniques used by Frederick III and Maximilian I in their personal notebooks – Encoding and the ciphers of Maximilian’s chancery and the historic context ¬– Nuremberg’s “Geheimschrift”.
  • Unit 2: A short historical review on Italy around 1500 – Ciphers used at The Holy See – Ciphers used in Venice – Ciphers used in Milan – Ciphers used in Mantua – Ciphers used in Ferrara – Ciphers used in Florence.
  • Unit 3: Analysis of texts and content.
Teaching methods
Seminar
Assessment methods
Ongoing assessment through group work
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2018/PV1B116