GOLITSYN, BORIS ALEKSEYEVICH Russian statesman, came of a princely family, claiming descent from Prince Gedymin of Lithuania. Boris became court chamber lain in 1676. He was the young tsar Peter's chief supporter when, in 1689, Peter resisted the usurpations of his sister Sophia, and the head of the loyal council which took refuge in the Troitsa monastery and won over the boyars of the opposite party. In 1690 he was created a boyar and shared with Naryshkin, Peter's uncle, the conduct of home affairs. After the death of the tsaritsa Natalia, Peter's mother, in 1694, his influence increased further. He accompanied Peter to the White Sea ; took part in the Azov campaign (1695) ; and was one of the triumvirate who ruled Russia during Peter's first foreign tour (1697-98). The Astrakhan rebellion (1706), which affected all the districts under his Government, shook Peter's confidence in him, and seriously impaired his position. In 1707 he was superseded in the Volgan provinces by Andrei Matveyev, and in 1713 entered a monastery. He was a typical representative of Russian society of the end of the 17th century in its transition from barbarism to civilization. In many respects he was far in advance of his age. He was highly educated, spoke Latin fluently, frequented the society of scholars and had his children carefully educated. Yet he was an habitual drunkard ; it was his drunkenness which ruined him in the estimation of Peter the Great, despite his previous services.
See S. Soloviev, History of Russia (Rus.), vol. xiv. (Moscow, 1858) ; R. N. Bain, The First Romanovs (19o5).