Nikolay Gerasimovich Ustryalov (; 4 May (N.S. 16 May) 1805 in Bogorodickoye,

Oryol Governorate Oryol Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian SFSR, which existed from 1796 to 1928. Its seat was in the city of Oryol. Administrative division Oryol Governorate consisted of t ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

– 8 June (N.S. 20 June) 1870 in

Tsarskoye Selo Tsarskoye Selo (, , ) was the town containing a former residence of the Russian House of Romanov, imperial family and visiting nobility, located south from the center of Saint Petersburg. The residence now forms part of the Pushkin, Saint Peter ...

) was a

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

Imperial historian who elaborated the Official Nationality Theory. His outline of Russia's history was awarded the

Demidov Prize The Demidov Prize () is a national scientific prize in Russia awarded annually to the members of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Originally awarded from 1832 to 1866 in the Russian Empire, it was revived by the government of Russia's Sverdlovsk ...

for the best Russian history textbook (1837) and was highly regarded by Nicholas I himself. Ustryalov's father was a peasant, and his grand nephew

Nikolay Vasilyevich Ustryalov Nikolai Vasilyevich Ustryalov (; November 25, 1890 – September 14, 1937) was a Russian politician and a leading pioneer of National Bolshevism. His great-uncle was Nikolay Gerasimovich Ustryalov. Ustryalov and many of his followers were later ...

was a notable politician. His major contributions to Russian historiography include the publication of several key sources on the

Russian Tsardom The Tsardom of Russia, also known as the Tsardom of Moscow, was the centralized Russian state from the assumption of the title of tsar by Ivan IV in 1547 until the foundation of the Russian Empire by Peter the Great in 1721. From 1550 to 1700, ...

such as

Jacques Margeret Jacques Margeret ( – ) was a French mercenary captain who, in 1607, wrote the first printed French travel account of the Tsardom of Russia, entitled, . Early life A member of one of the oldest families of Auxonne, located on the border betwee ...

's memoir (1830), the collection of reminiscences about False Demetrius I (1831), and

Andrey Kurbsky Prince Andrey Mikhailovich Kurbsky (1528?–1583) was a Russian political figure, military leader, and political philosopher, known as an intimate friend and then a leading political opponent of the Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible (). He defected ...

's complete writings (1833). The '' American Cyclopaedia'' (1873–1876) cites Ustryalov as the author of ''The History of Russia'' (German translation, 3 vols., Stuttgart, 1840), which "urges the gradual

Russification Russification (), Russianisation or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians adopt Russian culture and Russian language either voluntarily or as a result of a deliberate state policy. Russification was at times ...

of all the non-Russian tribes of the empire and has been officially introduced as a textbook into the Russian colleges". Ustryalov's lectures in the

University of St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg State University (SPBGU; ) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the Great, the university from the be ...

grew increasingly unpopular with students during Alexander II's liberal reign. He spent the latter part of his life working on the ten volumes of ''The History of

Peter the Great Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...

's Reign'', of which however only volumes 1-4 and 6 were completed. This work was highly regarded by his contemporaries.The Russian Humanitarian Dictionary
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ustryalov 19th-century historians from the Russian Empire Demidov Prize laureates Academic staff of Saint Petersburg State University Members of the Russian Academy Full members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences 1805 births 1870 deaths