Unlocking History number (UH#)
UH0131
Original
Elizabeth I, Queen of England’s holograph spiral-locked letter to Henry III, King of France (1570s), Harry Ransom Center, Medieval and Early Modern Manuscript Collection, Letters of British Royalty, HRC 57.
Model and research notes
MIT Libraries, Unlocking History Research Group archive, MC0760, Box 16.
Letterlocking Unique Video number(s) (LUV #s) & Instructional video(s) URL
LUV 131 https://youtu.be/bNK3hZe3-9c
LUV 180 https://youtu.be/6ZyjvLRc62I
Instructional video info transcription
https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/98HGAR
Letterlocking Category number (LC #)
LC27H or LC31H or LC47H
Letterlocking Format number (LF #)
4RXW
Security score
High
Assessment of Confidence in assigning LC#
Inferred
Substrate
Paper
Dimensions
Forthcoming
Manifestation
Opened
Distinctive letterlocking style(s)
Spiral lock
Locking mechanism
Lock
Security enhancements
Forthcoming
Letterlocking category formula (shorthand)
LC27
Fold + Slit/Hole + Lock-SA
(F + S/H + LSA)
Or
LC31
Fold + Slit/Hole + Adhere + Lock-SA
(F + S/H + A + LSA)
Or
LC47
Fold + Slit/Hole + Adhere + Lock-O + Lock-SA
(F + S/H + A + LO + LSA)
Letterlocking manipulation sequence (shorthand)
Forthcoming
Locking instructions
Forthcoming
Images
spiral_lock_fig_31_transmitted-01.png;
Foldable(s)
Forthcoming
Step-by-steps
Forthcoming
Substrate map
Forthcoming
Virtual unfolding results
NA
Manipulations
Forthcoming
Damage
Forthcoming
Tears
Ink Corrosion
Wormholes
Features
Forthcoming
Dirt on panels/ in crease
Radiating wrinkles
Seal impression adjacency
Wrinkles
Article(s)
2023. Daniel Starza Smith & Jana Dambrogio. Letterlocking: securing correspondence before envelopes in Routledge Encyclopedia of the Renaissance World. Lauren Shohet, subject editor.
2021. The Spiral-Locked Letters of Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots
Book
Jana Dambrogio and Daniel Starza Smith with the Unlocking History Research Group. Letterlocking: The Hidden History of the Letter. Cambridge and London: MIT Press, 2025.
Citation for the letter(s)
UH0131
Original
Elizabeth I to Henry III, King of France (1570s), Harry Ransom Center, Medieval and Early Modern Manuscript Collection, Letters of British Royalty, HRC 57.
Model
MIT Libraries, Unlocking History Research Group archive, MC0760, Box 16.
Video
LUV131
JD, DSS, UHRG, “Queen Elizabeth I’s holograph letter to Henry III, King of France, England (1574–1589s).” Letterlocking Instructional Videos. Unlocking History number 0131/Letterlocking Unique Video number: 0131. Filmed: November 2017. Duration: 8:49. Posted: November 2017. URL: https://youtu.be/bNK3hZe3-9c. Accessed March 4, 2025.
LUV180
Jana Dambrogio, Daniel Starza Smith, and the Unlocking History Research Group, “Alternate ending: Queen Elizabeth I’s holograph spiral-locked letter to Henry III, King of France, England (1570s).” Letterlocking Instructional Videos. Unlocking History number 0131/Letterlocking Unique Video number: 0180. Filmed: November 2017. Duration: 10:49. Posted: December 2017. URL: https://youtu.be/6ZyjvLRc62I. Accessed March 4, 2025.