Before joining the Sinergia Project Capturing the Present at the Université de Neuchâtel, Maxim Hoffman was a doctoral student at Ghent University (2020-2025). His research focuses on sixteenth-century political history, espionage and the functioning of chanceries. In February 2025, he defended his thesis entitled: The Secret Face of Empire. Espionage, Governance and the Habsburg Archives under Charles V, 1525-1550. This work critically reassesses the archival context under Charles V by examining secret information-gathering and thereby re-evaluates the role of the emperor’s leading Burgundian ministers in policymaking. Furthermore, it looks into the geopolitical role of the Burgundian Low Countries in disseminating news and organising espionage activities in large parts of the empire. A chapter from the thesis, on the secret networks of Queen Eleanor of Austria in France, has been publishedin French History.
His extensive research stays in major state and diplomatic archives across Europe (Brussels, Vienna, Simancas, Madrid, Paris, Lille, Chantilly, Besançon, Firenze, Modena, Milan) have provided him with strong palaeographic skills and experience with early modern cryptography. This expertise has enabled him to edit part of the correspondence exchanged between Charles V’s first councillor, Nicolas Perrenot de Granvelle and his son, Antoine Perrenot. Their letters detail the numerous challenges faced by the central administration of the emperor (forthcoming in Bulletin de la Commission royale d’Histoire).
As part of the Capturing the Present team, Maxim’s research will focus primarily on WP3, investigating conceptions of time within Charles V’s empire and how the bureaucratic rhythms and practices of the chanceries in the empire governed this vast territory. Particular attention will be given to the different temporalities at regional and central levels of the empire and how the central power sought to handle this multiplicity of presents. His research will also examine how the dissemination of news and the material support provided by archives played an important part in legitimising state power and shaping political actions.
