Decoding Code Name 16: Was Francesco Caccini the Host of the Donati-Ardinghelli Wedding Celebrations of 1465?

Abstract

ON APRIL 27, 1465, Braccio Martelli (1442–1513) wrote to Lorenzo de’Medici, still in his mid-teens, on his way north to represent his ailing father and his city at the Sforza-Aragonese wedding inMilan. It is a famous letter, known principally for its account of thewedding celebrations ofNiccolὸArdinghelli and LucreziaDonati— the former in exile from Florence since theMedici crackdown of 1458, the latter the object of Lorenzo’s youthful passion—with the writer employing a prearranged code to conceal the names of the couple, their guests, and the individual who hosted some, at least, of the related social events. This latter figure is designated 16. A century ago, Isidoro Del Lungo, the first to publish Braccio’s letter, offered solutions to some of the challenges presented by the code but without making any specific suggestion as to the identity of 16. More recent scholars have, on