Benjamin Marschke

Benjamin Marschke is a Professor of History at Humboldt State University (HSU), with a Ph.D. from UCLA. In 2025, he will serve as Vertretungsprofessor (Visiting Professor) at the University of Trier (Germany), returning to HSU for the Spring 2026 semester. His research focuses on early modern Europe, particularly Prussian military chaplaincy, political ceremony, gender/sexuality, and intellectual culture under King Frederick William I. Current projects include a book on 18th-century political ceremony and a study of news reception by a village pastor during the Enlightenment.

Education: Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Research interests emphasize early modern Europe’s religious, military, and cultural dynamics, with a focus on Prussia. He explores intersections between Pietism, court rituals, and Enlightenment thought. Recent publications analyze military discipline, religious plurality, and monarchical representation in 18th-century Prussia.

Teaching includes courses on Western Civilization, historical methods, World Wars in Europe, and early modern European history. His work bridges historiography and interdisciplinary methodologies, often addressing underexamined aspects of Prussian state-building and court culture.

Notable projects include studies of Halle Pietist networks, royal self-representation, and the socio-economic dimensions of military chaplaincy. His scholarship challenges traditional narratives of Prussian militarism and emphasizes cultural and religious complexities.