Golitsyn with his sons Boris and Dmitry in Paris (photo magnification from a miniature of the late 1780s (from the book of 1916)). She kept all of her household in strict obedience as the children grew up, they did not dare to sit in her presence." Prince V.B. Natalya Petrovna, a clever woman by nature and a great organiser, arranged things, taking management of the estates in her own hands and solely disposing affairs to increase her wealth. His wife easily got the better of him, putting him in the rank of a lowly brigadier, and reorganised the estates. As one of their contemporaries recorded: "Golitsyn was a rich landowner, but a simple-minded person. Natalya Petrovna, by travelling from estate to estate, was able to put the estates in order, while also significantly increasing their income. The Golitsyns had very extensive households and landholdings, but they were in some disarray. The early years of her marriage were spent setting her husband's estates in order. In October 1766 she married the 35-year-old Prince Vladimir Borisovich Golitsyn, in a wedding attended by the Empress herself, who decorated the Princess's hair with diamonds and accompanied her to the church. In 1762 she was appointed maid of honour to Empress Catherine the Great, and was awarded a unique gold medal with Catherine's portrait by the empress for her dance in the "Court Carousel" of 1766. Upon the Chernyshyovs' return to Russia in 1762, Natalya and her sister Darya became known as two of the most learned women in Russia.
The Chernyshyovs were recalled to Russia in 1756, spending four years in the country before her father's appointment in 1760 as ambassador to the court of Louis XV of France. Natalya went with the family to London, her father's new posting as ambassador to the Kingdom of Great Britain, and received an excellent education, eventually being able to speak five languages. She was a niece of Counts Zakhar and Ivan Chernyshov and the sister of the lady in waiting Princess Darya Petrovna Saltykova. Her mother was Ekaterina Andreyevna, daughter of a famous chief of the secret office in Biron, Count Andrei Ivanovich Ushakov. Natalya was born in Berlin on 28 January 1741, the second daughter of Count Pyotr Chernyshyov, diplomat and ambassador to the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Natalya's husband, Prince Vladimir Borisovich Golitsyn, in a 1762 portrait by Alexander Roslin Pyotr Chernyshyov with his wife Ekaterina Andreyevna and their daughters Anna, Darya and Natalya, and their son Grigory. She died at the age of 96, having been a part of the Imperial court through the lives of five Emperors and Empresses.įamily and early life The Chernyshyov family in a 1750s portrait by David Lüders. She was an inspiration for the countess in Alexander Pushkin's short story The Queen of Spades, another nickname that became attached to her. In later life she became known in society as "Princesse Moustache" as her facial hair became more prominent. Despite being Governor-General of Moscow, her son Dmitry had to have the Emperor intercede on his behalf for a raise in the allowance she gave him.
Her influence and control over their lives was such that even in adult life they were afraid to sit in front of her, and she continued to manage the family estates and finances.
Popular in public, though regarded as somewhat autocratic, she took especial care of her children, enforcing strict rules and standards of behaviour. She continued to receive the attentions of the Russian emperors, being awarded orders of nobility, and mixing with the highest echelons of society. Princess Golitsyna continued her socialising, establishing a popular salon that became an important focal point of the court. Returning to Russia during the French Revolution, the family established itself in St Petersburg. They settled in Paris, where Natalya became a darling of the French court, nicknamed the "Moscow Venus". Taking charge of the management of his estates, she greatly increased the family's fortunes, before the couple moved abroad with their family for their education. Appointed one of Empress Catherine the Great's maids of honour in 1762, she married Prince Vladimir Borisovich Golitsyn in 1766. She moved with the family to London, following her father's duties as ambassador to the royal courts of Europe, and returned to Russia for periods. Catherine's first degree.īorn into the noble Chernyshyov family, Natalya Petrovna was the daughter of the diplomat Pyotr Chernyshyov, ambassador to Berlin at the time of her birth. Princess Natalya Petrovna Golitsyna ( Russian: Наталья Петровна Голицына née Chernyshyova (Чернышёва) 28 January 1741 – 1 January 1838 ) was a Russian noblewoman, lady-in-waiting, socialite, and Dame of the Order of St. Natalya Petrovna Golitsyna, in a 1777 portrait by Alexander Roslin
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