Tibetan studies in Russia: a brief historical account

Abstract

Tibetology is one of the oldest branches of Oriental studies in Russia that used to be closely connected with foreign and inner policy of the Russian State starting from the late 17th century. The neighborhood with various Mongolian politia and gradual spread of Russian sovereignty upon some of them caused the necessity of studying and using Tibetan along with Mongolian, Oirat, Buryat languages and also, from the 18th century, studying Tibetan Buddhism as the dominant religion of these people...