Wolfenbüttel, a Minor German Duchy But a Major Center of Cryptology in the Early Modern Period

This paper highlights cryptographic activities from 1540 to about 1680 at the small duchy-Brunswick-Lüneburg in northern Germany, not too far from Hanover (see Fig. 1, p. 2). The analysis shall proceed chronologically and present some relevant examples from the 16th century before focusing on the most important German cryptological author of his time, Duke August the Younger (1579-1666).