Vasily Bartold facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vasily Barthold
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| Born | 15 November [O.S. 3 November] 1869 |
| Died | 19 August 1930 (aged 60) |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Occupation | Historian |
Vasily Vladimirovich Barthold (1869–1930) was a famous Russian historian. He studied the history of Islam and the Turkic peoples. Turkic peoples are groups of people who speak Turkic languages. He was known in the West as Wilhelm Barthold.
Vasily Barthold was born in Saint Petersburg in Russia. His family was of German background. He lived during the last years of the Russian Empire and the first years of the Soviet Union.
Contents
Vasily Barthold's Studies
Vasily Barthold taught at the University of Saint Petersburg. He often took long trips to Muslim countries. These trips helped him learn more for his studies.
His Important Books
Barthold wrote a big book called Turkestan down to the Mongol Invasion. This book was published in two parts between 1898 and 1900. In it, he explained how the Mongol rule helped the Muslim world after their first invasions.
He was also the first to share information from old Arab historians. This information was about the early history of Kievan Rus'. Kievan Rus was an old state in Eastern Europe.
Working on Encyclopedias
Barthold helped edit many scholarly magazines about Muslim studies. He also wrote a lot for the first edition of the Encyclopaedia of Islam. This is a very important book about Islam.
In 1913, he became a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. This is a group of very smart people who do scientific research. In 1917, he joined a group that studied different peoples in Russia.
After the Russian Revolution
After the Russian Revolution, Barthold got a new job. He became the director of the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography. He worked there from 1918 to 1921.
He wrote three important books about the history of Islam. These books were Islam (1918), Muslim Culture (1918), and The Muslim World (1922). He also helped create the Cyrillic writing system. This system was used for Muslim countries in Soviet Central Asia.
His Works and Legacy
Many of Vasily Barthold's writings were translated into English, Arabic, and Persian. His collected works were printed again in nine books between 1963 and 1977.
Even though some people disagreed with his ideas, his books were still very respected. They were not changed, even if they did not fit the government's views at the time. Some of his books have been printed again more recently.
About Turkic People
Barthold gave lectures about ancient Turkic people. He talked about old writings like the Orkhon inscriptions. He also used information from Chinese records about different Turkic and Mongol groups. He studied when Turkic people first met Iranian and Arab invaders. He also looked at when they first became Muslims.
He explored the daily lives and economies of Turkic people in Central Asia. He noted that old inscriptions did not always clearly define who was "Turkic."
Turkic Religion and Islam
Islam became popular among Turkic people in the 9th and 10th centuries. This happened along the Amu Darya river. Barthold wrote about the old beliefs of Turkic people. They believed in "Turkic Sky" and "Turkic Earth and Water." They also believed in "Tengri," which meant nature as a god. Another important belief was "Umai," who protected children.
About Genghis Khan
Vasily Barthold also wrote about Genghis Khan. He studied Genghis Khan's family, his time, and his sons.
See also
In Spanish: Vasili Bartold para niños
