Two Diplomatic Ciphers of Marquis de Villars (1669, 1671)
Some letters from Louis XIV to Pierre de Villars, Marquis de Villars, are put on auction at Spink (I thank Patrick Hayes for the information). They are interesting in the study of codes and ciphers early in the reign of Louis XIV.
Louis XIV to Pierre de Villars, Marquis de Villars, 30 May 1669
The image of one letter (31 May 1669) has lines in cipher without decipherment. The auction website says it is deciphered but the image of the decipherment is not provided.
It seems "Colbert-Croissy Cipher (1668-1674) (DE=68) (see another article) is used. The remaining unidentified symbols may be identified by examining the many letters in this cipher preserved in the archives. (Or it may be simpler to purchase the letters!)
? du co - e ? to o u
r ne ra la u va ri te je ne ? ? do n ne r ? cu n ? fi ? ?
p re ci s su r ? co n du i te ? je ne t i se (cleartext) o b le ge
...
If my identification is correct, it means that the same cipher was used for Colbert-Croissy, ambassador in London, and Villars "en Espagne" ("Une fonction aux contours obscurs" (First chapter in Sylvain Lloret, Entre princes et marchands) says Colbert wrote to Villars, "ambassadeur du roi de France á Madrid" as of 21 June 1669.).
Louis XIV to Pierre de Villars, Marquis de Villars, 6 December 1671
Another letter (6 December 1671) has interlinear decipherment. The key can be reconstructed as follows.
The arrangement is more irregular than other French ciphers at the time. Although elements with the same initial letter tend to be clustered, this is the only French cipher without regularity in arrangement before Louvois' in 1676. The runner-up, Le Tellier-Coolbert Cipher 2 (December 1650-1652) (DE=13/59~), is not really a two-part code because one table can be used both for encoding and decoding by either reading horizontally or vertically (see another article).
Colbert-Croissy is known to have used different ciphers in 1671. It is wondered whether he also used this one.
Transcription
The following is my transcription.
Monsr. le Marquis de Villars, Je vous aysy clairement fait scauoir
mes intentions sur ce que je desire que 434(vous) 320(fa) mm~(s) 220(si) 51(e) 43(z) d(a) 397(medial???) 232(pour)
51(e) 72(m) 354(pe) 93(s) 71(c) 405(he) 22(r) 392(que) 207(les) 356(Espagn) z(o) 82(l) mm~(s) 313(ne) 213(se) 62(n) 360(ga) 368(ge) 62(n) 83(t) d(a) 305(do) 62(n) 313(ne) 22(r)
312(du) 213(se) 266(co) 73(u) 22(r) mm~(s) d(a) 73(u) 63(x) 241(holandois) 346(pa) 22(r) 207(les) 289(de) 73(u) 63(x) 289(de) 22(r) 321(ni) 51(e) 431(re) 93(s) 231(lettre) 93(s)
392(que) 437(ja) 53(y) 305(do) 62(n) 313(ne) 316(ordre) d(a) 73(u) 220(si) 51(e) 73(u) 22(r) 289(de) 252(lo) 73(u) 307(uo) q-(i) mm~(s) 289(de) 434(vous) 51(e) mm~(s) =
71(c) 438(ri) 431(re) 399(qui) 82(l) 213(se) 445(ro) q-(i) 83(t) q-(i) 337(nu) 260(ti) 236(le) 392(que) 444(je) 434(vous) 348(en) 307(vo) 53(y) d(a) 93(s) 213(se)
73(u) 313(ne) q-(i) 62(n) 23(st) 452(ru) 71(c) 402(tion) 237(su) 22(r) 251(ce) 237(su) 444(je) 83(t) 399(qui) 313(ne) 332(pour) 445(ro) q-(i) 83(t) 434(vous) d(a) 42(p)
325(p) 431(re) 62(n) 61(d) 431(re) 392(que) 207(les) 275(me) 93(s) 275(me) mm~(s) 71(c) 423(ho) 213(se) 93(s) 399(qui) 434(vous) 309(on) 83(t) 323(de) 437(ja)
51(e) mm~(s) 253(te) 267(ma) 62(n) 289(de) 51(e) 93(s) 434(vous) 291(ve) 22(r) 431(re) 43(z) 346(pa) 22(r) 207(les) 266(co) 361(pi) 51(e) mm~(s) 392(que)
444(je) 434(vous) 348(en) 307(vo) 53(y) 51(e) 289(de) 289(de) 73(u) 63(x) 231(lettre) mm~(s) 392(que) 437(ja) 53(y) 431(re) 251(ce) 73(u) 51(e) 93(s) 289(de)
290(mo) 62(n) 230(ambassade) 73(u) 22(r) d(a) 254(lo[sic]) 62(n) 61(d) 431(re) mm~(s) 266(co) 72(m) 269(bien) 369(po) 220(si) 260(ti) 291(ve) 255(ment) 236(le) 266(co) 72(m) 253(te)
289(de) 229(so) 62(n) 289(de) 22(r) 228(la) 62(n) 61(d) d(a) 316(ordre) 289(de) 346(pa) 22(r) 236(le) 22(r) 91(a) 73(u) 63(x) 270(ministre) mm~(s) 61(d) 356(Espagne) 33(et)
289(de) 236(le) 73(u) 22(r) 51(e) 63(x) 42(p) 243(li) 392(que) 22(r) 392(que) 228(la) 386(France) 33(et) 228(la) 62(n) 31(g) 236(le) 253(te) 22(r) 431(re) 212(jo) q-(i)
62(n) 253(te) mm~(s) 348(en) 213(se) 72(m) 81(b) 236(le) 236(le) 73(u) 22(r) 289(de) 71(c ) 228(la) 431(re) 445(ro) 62(n) 83(t) 228(la) 419(guerre) 220(si)
297(di) 431(re) 71(c) 253(te) 255(ment) 52(o) 73(u) q-(i) 62(n) 297(di) 431(re) 71(c) 253(te) 255(ment) 447(il) mm~(s) 213(se) 266(co) 73(u) 431(re) 62(n) 83(t)
241(les_holandois) 437(ja) 83(t) 253(te) 62(n) mm~(s) 236(le) 297(di) 83(t) 266(co) 72(m) 253(te) 289(de) 229(so) 62(n) 289(de) 22(r) 228(la) 62(n) 61(d) 399(qui)
305(do) q-(i) 83(t) 51(e) 23(st) 431(re) q-(i) 258(ci) dans 73(u) 62(n) 212(jo) 73(u) 22(r) 52(o) 73(u) 289(de) 73(u) 63(x) 332(pour) sauoir
289(de) 215(luy) 207(les) 266(co) 62(n) 297(di) 402(tion) mm~(s) d(a) 73(u) 63(x) 392(que) 82(l) 207(les) 311(le_roy_d'Angleterre) 289(de) 220(si) 431(re) 424(ra) 392(que)
444(je) 320(fa) mm~(s) 213(se) 289(de) 243(li) 73(v) 431(re) 22(r) 207(les) 71(c) 438(ri) 83(t) d(a) 73(u) 63(x) 270(ministre) mm~(s) 61(d) 356(Espagne) 332(pour)
(verso)
228(la) 42(p) 445(ro) 252(lo) 62(n) 360(ga) 402(tion) 289(de) 228(la) 22(r) 218(bi) 83(t) 424(ra) 368(ge) 33(et) 220(si) 348(en) 242(ca) mm~(s)
392(que) 207(les) 356(Espag) z(o) 82(l) mm~(s) 313(ne) 291(ve) 73(u) 447(il) 236(le) 62(n) 83(t) par 348(en) 253(te) 62(n) 61(d) 431(re) d(a) 73(u) 63(x)
42(p) 445(ro) 369(po) 220(si) 402(tion) 93(s) 424(ra) q-(i) 229(so) 62(n) 306(na) 81(b) 207(les) 392(que) 329(no) mm~(s) 289(de) 73(u) 63(x) 230(ambassade) 73(u) 22(r) 93(s)
d(a) 73(u) 445(ro) 62(n) 83(t) 316(ordre) 289(de) 236(le) 73(u) 22(r) 394(faire) 447(il) 313(ne) 23(st) par 281(da) 61(d) 299(vi) mm~(s) 392(que) 82(l) 309(on)
313(ne) 236(le) 236(le) 73(u) 22(r) 323(des) 243(li) 73(v) 431(re) point 377(pu) q-(i) mm~(s) 392(que) 228(la) 93(s) 213(se) 73(u) 424(ra) 62(n) 251(ce)
406(quo) 62(n) 236(le) 73(u) 22(r) 305(do) 62(n) 313(ne) 445(ro) q-(i) 83(t) 289(de) 313(ne) 207(les) 369(po) q-(i) 62(n) 83(t) d(a) 83(t) 244(ta) 392(que) 22(r)
406(quo) 53(y) 392(que) 82(l) 236(le) 353(fu) 23(st) 266(co) 62(n) 297(di) 402(tion) 313(ne) 51(e) 313(ne) 213(se) 22(r) 299(vi) 445(ro) q-(i) 83(t) 384*(que)
207(les) 275(me) 83(t) 365(t) 431(re) 348(en) 363(estat) 61(d) 348(en) 307(vo) 53(y) 51(e) 22(r) 340(plus) 289(de) 420(trouppe) mm~(s) d(a) 73(u) 63(x) 241(holandoy)
220(si) 82(l) mm~(s) 71(c) 372(r) 52(o) 454(yent→yoient) 289(de) 236(le) 369(po) 73(u) 307(vo) q-(i) 22(r) 394(faire) 213(se) 73(u) 431(re) 255(ment) Et la
presente n'estant a autre fin, je me la feray plus expresse que pour prier
dieu qu'il vous aye Monsr le Marquis de Villars en sa Ste garde
Escrit a Ste Germain en laye le 6^e jour de Decembre 1671
©2026 S.Tomokiyo
First posted on 20 September 2026. This article is encoded in UTF-8. Last modified on 20 September 2026.
Articles on Historical Cryptography
