House of Golitsyn


The Golitsyn family, one of the largest princely of the noble houses of Russia, originated in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
After the extinction of the Korecki family in the 17th century, the Golitsyns claimed dynastic seniority in the House of Gediminas. Notable members include Vasily Vasilyevich Golitsyn, Boris Alexeyevich Golitsyn and Dmitry Mikhaylovich Golitsyn, Nikolai Golitsyn, the last prime-minister of Imperial Russia, Anatoliy Golitsyn, KGB officer.
Alternative transliterations of the name include: Galitzine, Galitsyn, Galitsin, Golitsin and Golitsyn.

Origins

The family descends from a Lithuanian prince George, son of Patrikas and grandson of Narimantas. He immigrated to the court of Vasily I and married Vasily's sister. His children and grandchildren, Vassian Patrikeyev, were considered premier Russian boyars.
One of them, Prince, earned the nickname Golitsa for an iron glove he wore in the Battle of Orsha in 1514. His son Yuri Bulgakov-Golytsin continued with the family line and his great-grandson Prince Vasily Golitsyn was active during the Time of Troubles and went as an ambassador to Poland to offer the Russian crown to Prince Władysław.

Notable Golitsyns

was one of the Greatest Russian statesmen of the 17th century, principal minister of state during the Regency of Sophia Alekseyevna
Boris Alexeyevich Galitzin, was a cousin and the chief political opponent of Vasily Vasilyevich and thereafter influential minister of Peter the Great.
Dmitry Mikhailovich Galitzin, another cousin of Vasily Vasilyevich, was noted for his attempt to turn Russia into a constitutional monarchy.
Dmitry's brother Mikhail Mikhailovich was a field marshal and is best known for his governorship of Finland, where his harsh rule is remembered by the people he had conquered as the Greater Wrath.
His younger brother, another Mikhail Mikhailovich Golitsyn was general admiral of the Russian fleet.
, a grandson of Vasily Vasilyevich, was punished by Empress Anna of Russia for converting to Catholicism and marrying a Catholic Italian woman in being forced to become a court jester. His wedding to another court jester inside Anna Ivanovna's palace remained famous.
Mikhail Mikhailovich's son Alexander Mikhailovich was a diplomat and soldier, who likewise rose to be field-marshal and governor of St. Petersburg.
Another son of Mikhail's, Dmitry Mikhailovich, was the Russian ambassador in Vienna during the reign of Catherine the Great. Primarily remembered for the splendid Golitsyn Hospital he opened in Moscow, he should also be noted as a great friend and patron of Mozart.
Another , son of general admiral Mikhail Mikhaylovich Golitsyn
Prince Dmitry Alekseyevich Golitsyn was the Russian ambassador to the Netherlands and a Fellow of the Royal Society.
A son of Dmitry Alekseyevich, Prince Dmitry Dmitriyevich Golitsyn, also known as the Apostle of the Alleghenies, was the first Roman Catholic priest ordained in America; a settlement in Pennsylvania is named after him. He is currently under investigation for possible Sainthood, his current title is Servant of God.
Prince Dmitri Vladimirovich Golitsyn fought bravely during the Napoleonic wars, was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and governed Moscow for 25 years.
Prince Alexander Nikolayevich Golitsyn was a reactionary minister of education in the government of Alexander I. He headed an investigation into masonic involvement in the Decembrist uprising of 1825 and served as the Chairman of the State Council from 1838 to 1841.
Princess Yelizaveta Alexeyevna Golitsyna Roman Catholic nun.
Prince Nikolay Borisovich Galitzin was an amateur cellist who commissioned Beethoven to write his last string quartets, sometimes called the Galitzin quartets.
Prince Alexei Vasilyevich Golitsyn was a friend of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Like the composer, Golitsyn was homosexual; but unlike the composer, he lived openly with his lover, Nikolay Vasilyevich Masalitinov.
Prince Grigory Sergeyevich Golitsin was a general and the Governor of Transcaucasia in 1897–1904.
Prince Lev Sergeyevich – was one of the founders of winemaking in the Crimea. In his Crimean estate of Novyi Svet he built the first Russian factory of champagne wines. In 1889 the production of this winery won the Gold Medal at the Paris exhibition in the nomination for sparkling wines. He became the surveyor of imperial vineyards at Abrau-Dyurso in 1891.
Prince Boris Borisovich was a prominent physicist who invented the first electromagnetic seismograph in 1906.
Prince Nikolai Dmitriyevich Golitsyn was the last Tsarist prime minister of Russia, at the time of the February Revolution.
Sergei Golitsyn wrote Memoirs of a Survivor: The Golitsyn Family in Stalin's Russia, a memoir of his experiences of the period from the start of the Revolution in 1917 to Russia's entry into World War II in 1941.
Prince Yuri Golitsyn Born Yokohama Japan 1919 One of the founders of public relations having written the handbook on the subject and pushed research on the family forward to being published in a book. He was also a member of The Right Society and yet championed action against concentration camps after being the first allied officer to witness one firsthand
Princess Irene Galitzine, fashion designer
Prince Georgy Sergeyevich Golitsyn, Russian physicist noted for his research on the concept of nuclear winter.
, London
Prince Leo Golitsyn escaped from Soviet Russia during World War I and came to settle in Canada by 1929 in Edson, Alberta. He and his wife purchased 420 acres of land, one-quarter section from M. Silva and a half-section from Neil Armstrong. Most of the property bordered the McLeod River. Other than the 110 acres of farm land, they owned 5 pairs of foxes, poultry, horses and cattle. Golitsyn, together with his wife, an Egyptian Princess, bought an airplane and started a charter company at Bear Lake. After the Princess died during a vacation to Europe, Leo moved to Hollywood where he was seen acting in various films as an extra. His most notable works are The Razor's Edge and The Chocolate Soldier.
Prince George Vladimirovich Galitzine in whose memory was founded in 1994 by his widow Princess George Galitzine and his daughter Princess Catherine Galitzine. Prince George served with distinction in the rank of Major, Welsh Guards 1939–45. He was subsequently a diplomat and businessman. Following retirement he was active as a researcher, author and lecturer on Russia. The Prince George Galitzine Library specialises in the cultural life of St Petersburg with a collection in excess of 3000 books, photographs and documents for research tracing back to Catherine the Great. The Library occupies the palace on the Fontanka, formerly the family home of his mother Countess Catherine Carlow, daughter of Duke George of Mecklenburg-Strelitz a younger son of Ekaterina Mikhailovna Romanov, Grand Duchess of Russia. Through the Mecklenburg-Strelitz connection, this branch of the Galitzine family are related to many of the Royal Houses of Europe.
, Hollywood producer and deacon in the Orthodox Church in America.
Bishop Alexander , is Archbishop for Dallas, the South and the Bulgarian Diocese for the Orthodox Church in America. He is also emeritus professor of theology at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. His academic work focuses on the discerning the roots of eastern Christian spirituality in Second Temple Judaism.
Alexander Golitzen was a Russian-born production designer and oversaw art direction on more than 300 movies
The actor and musician Nicholas Dmitrievich Galitzine,, was born in London on September 29, 1994. He has starred in films such as High Strung and Handsome Devil.
Tatiana Galitzine is an American architect and the daughter Prince Peter Galiztine.
Maria Galitzine was a Russian-American interior designer and the daughter of Prince Peter Galitzine.