Baron Pyotr Karlovich Uslar (Пётр Карлович Услар), known by his German name Peter von Uslar (1 September 1816 – 20 July 1875), was a Russian general, engineer and linguist of German descent, known for his research of languages and ethnography of peoples of Caucasus.

Biography

Peter von Uslar was born in 1 September 1816 in Kurovo manor in Vyshnevolotsky District, Tver Governorate, Russian Empire. His grandfather was a native of Hanover who in 1765 moved to Russia and subsequently joined the ranks of Imperial Russian Army. After graduating from the Chief Engineering School, he graduated from the General Staff Academy and did not have formal education in linguistics. In 1850 he was appointed member of the Caucasus Department of the Russian Geographical Society and ordered to compile the history of the Caucasus region. This appointment had eventually led to his interest in researching of Caucasian languages and to his tremendous contribution into the recording of numerous Caucasian languages from various linguistic groups, such as Abkhaz, Ubykh, Svan, Chechen, Avar, Lak, Tabasaran, Lezgian, Dargin, etc.

English sources

Russian sources