Vassili Golitsyne

The prince Vassili Vassilievitch Golitsyne (in Russian ВасилийВасильевичГолицын), born in 1643, deceased in 1714, is a Russian Statesman of the 17th century. There remained famous for its talents of politician and to have been the lover of the tsarina Sophia Alexeievna.

Its beginnings

Resulting from a family of old nobility (the origin of the Golitsyne goes back to Gediminas, founder of the Grand-duché of Lithuania), it passes its youth to the court of the Tsar Alexis First where it reaches gradually the row of Boyard. It slowly assembles in rank in the bureaucracy of the State during the Années 1660. In 1676, it is sufficiently known Romanov so that new the Tsar, Fédor III, names it its main thing adviser. The same year, it is pilot of a campaign against the Turkey which convinces it of the incompetence of several bureaucrats in the high positions of the State and the army. He persuades the tsar that the mestnitchestvo , the right of precedence of the Boyard S of the highest governmental loads, became obsolete and that he must be abolished. The suppression of the mestnitchestvo will be accepted by a Zemski sobor in 1682.

Vassili Golitsyne sees however broader and considers a general reform of the State. Its program, advances some over its time, includes/understands a larger opening with Occident ; the development of the trade and the industrie ; introduction of transportation routes with the Siberia ; the setting-up of an army régulière ; the colonization of the steps of Russia. He also hopes to legislate on the complete freedom of conscience and confession and would like to release the farming community of serfdom.

Its role during the reign of Sophia Alexeievna,

When Fédor III dies, in 1682, Golitsyne is far from to have started this program. After an undulation of a few weeks, Sophia Alexeievna, sister of Fédor and amante of Vassili, is essential as regent with Pierre Ier and Ivan V like Co-tsars. Golitsyne is named chancellor and person in charge of the Foreign affairs. This last station will take all its time to him during the seven years of regency of Sophia, which will prevent it entrependre the ambitious reform which it wishes.

It spends the first years to be negotiated with the Poland which still did not recognize the conquest of the Eastern Ukraine by Russia. A treated is signed in Moscow in 1686. The king of Poland recognizes Smolensk, Kiev and the Ukraine in the east of the Dniepr like Russian possessions provided that the tsar the assistance to make the war against the Tatars of the Crimea.

It is also Golitsyne which negotiates the Traité of Nertchinsk, in 1689, which gives up in China the area of the Amour. Moscow then has too many problems with the Turks to undertake a war in the Far East.

In 1687, Sophia Alexeievna makes the error to give to Golitsyne the command troops which will try to conquer the Crimea. This one, if it has great political qualities, is very far from being a military engineering. The army turns back before to have fought, Tatars having put fire at the steppe in order to prevent it from passing. Incompetent to prepare a battle plan or an adequate strategy, the grass general preferred tourer casaque rather than to try to face the enemy.

A new forwarding is organized in 1688 and Sophia heading to recover it to the head from the army. This time, it enters in the Crimea, besieges Pérékop without too much conviction, then reconsiders its steps, leaving 20 000 died and 15 000 prisoners on the ground.

A few weeks after the return of Golitsyne in Moscow, Pierre Ier reverses Sophia. The prince fears during one moment for his life but Pierre prefers to exile it. He will live the last years of his life successively with Kargopol, Mezen and Kholmogory before dying the April 21st 1714. The new tsar perhaps then deprived himself of a qualified politician whose certain ideas agreed with his.

Khovanchtchina (Moussorgski) , opera putting in scene the prince and his confrontation with his rival Ivan Khovansky and the imperial capacity.

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Vassili Golitsyne

Its beginnings

Its role during the reign of Sophia Alexeievna,

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