Peter Mainka

Dr. Peter Mainka is a part-time lecturer at the Chair of Modern History at the University of Würzburg, with a focus on Early Modern European history and colonial contexts. He holds a PhD in Modern and Contemporary History from Würzburg and has extensive experience in German-Brazilian academic collaborations.

• Education: History, German Studies, and Ancient Greek at the University of Würzburg and Vienna.
• Research Interests span colonial history, Ibero-American studies, enlightened absolutism, and the role of religious orders in colonial contexts. His work often intersects with educational history and cultural exchange.

His recent publications emphasize the Portuguese Empire, Jesuit missions in Brazil, and Early Modern political philosophy. Notable awards include the Wissenschaftspreis der Stiftung Ostdeutscher Kulturrat (2nd Place, 1995). He has led student excursions to Brazil and the Netherlands, fostering cross-cultural academic engagement. Teaching activities at Würzburg include seminars on the Portuguese seaborne empire, Ibero-American colonialism, and the Thirty Years' War. Since 2014, he has been a pedagogical staff member at the Würzburg Adult Education Center (vhs).