What was Leon Battista Alberti's invention in cryptography?

In 1467, Italian polymath Leon Battista Alberti created the Alberti cipher, widely recognized as one of the first polyalphabetic ciphers. His invention utilized a movable cipher wheel, an idea sparked by a conversation about movable type printing presses. This innovation established him as a foundational figure in European cryptography.

What we know

• Leon Battista Alberti created his cipher in 1467. [1, 2]
• The Alberti cipher stands as one of the earliest polyalphabetic ciphers. [2]
• Alberti developed the cipher wheel after discussing movable type printing presses with papal secretary Leonardo Dati. [2]
• Alberti is considered the founder of European cryptography, sharing that claim with Johannes Trithemius. [3]

Where to go next

• what caused itHow did movable type inspire the cipher wheel?
• how we knowWhat was written in De componendis cifris?
• whoWho else is considered a founder of European cryptography?
• compared withHow does a monoalphabetic cipher differ from a polyalphabetic one?
• the bigger pictureWhat architectural works did Leon Battista Alberti design?
• an unexpected connectionHow does Renaissance architecture connect to early encryption?The same Italian polymath renowned for designing churches like Sant'Andrea also invented the foundational mechanism of polyalphabetic cryptography.

Sources

• [1]Alberti cipher (Wikidata Q2282737) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Alberti cipher · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Leon Battista Alberti · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Aristocrat Cipher · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Giovan Battista Bellaso · CC BY-SA 4.0