Barsov, Nikolai

Barsov, Nikolai Pavlovich 

Born Apr. 27 (May 9), 1839, in the town of Bolkhov, Orel Province; died Nov. 23 (Dec. 5), 1889, in Warsaw. Russian bourgeois historian.

In 1861, Barsov graduated from the University of St. Petersburg. During the years 1872–89 he taught at the University of Warsaw, and beginning in 1888 he was a professor there. Barsov is the author of the monographs Materials for a Historical Geographical Dictionary of Russia (vol. 1, 1865), Outlines of Russian Historical Geography: Geography of the Primary (Nestor) Chronicle (1873; 2nd ed., 1885), and others. These works contain important factual material on the historical geography of Rus’ during the period from the ninth through the 14th centuries and on the history of the Slavs. Barsov visited many Slavic countries, where he studied the organization and methodology used in schools. He devoted a number of works to this subject.