Research
Herberstein developed a keen interest in all things Russian, and researched in several ways:
- using his knowledge of Slavic, he questioned a variety of people on a wide range of topics.
- careful review of existing publications on Russia, comparing what he read with his own observations. He viewed most publications skeptically, because he knew that most of the authors had not been able to actually visit Russia.
- corroboration. He was careful to make sure not to accept anything that was not well corroborated. As he wrote, he "did not rely upon this or that man's account, but trusted only to the unvarying statements of many."
- investigation of Russian written publications, which provided him with information on Russian culture completely unavailable at the time in Europe.
Read more about this topic: Notes On Muscovite Affairs
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