GOLITZIN, or GALITZIN, go-lits'in. A princely family of Russia, tracing its descent from Gedimin, Grand Prince of Lithuania, ances tor of the Jagellon Kings of Poland.—PRINCE MIKHAIL GOLITZIN was a celebrated military commander under Basil IV., Grand Prince of Moscow. He fought in the Crimea and in Lithuania, and in 1514 led an army against the Poles. He was defeated at Orsha and taken prisoner, remaining in captivity until 1552. He died in a convent at Moscow soon after his re lease.—VAstrx VASILYEVITCII GOLITZIN, great grandson of Mikhail, played an important role at the time of Boris Godunoff and the false De metrius. He was sent as Ambassador to Poland with the offer of the Russian crown for Prince Ladislas, hut was cast into prison by the Poles, and died in 1619.—Boais Gotrrzix (1641-c.1713) was the preceptor of Peter the Great and one of the regents of the Empire during Peter's travels abroad. He became subsequently Governor of Kazan and Astrakhan, and enjoyed great favor with the Czar.—VASILY VASILYE \ITCH GOLITZIN, known as the Great (1613-1714), distinguished himself in military operations against the Cossacks of the Dnieper, gained the title of Ataman, and after 1680 was Minister of State. He was the lover of Sophia, sister of Peter the Great, who acted as regent during the young ruler's minority. As such, Golitzin was the virtual ruler of Russia, carrying on the govern ment with great ability and firmness. He made the beginnings of military reform, thus preparing the way for the thorough organization of the army by Peter the Great. Upon the assumption of the Government by Peter in 1689, Vasily suf fered disgrace and was banished to Siberia, where he died.—Thirrai GOLITZIN (died 1738) was Rus sian Ambassador to Turkey and Austria, and subsequently Superintendent of the Imperial Fi nances. He was one of the leaders of the aristo cratic party which, upon the accession of Anna Ivanovna, (q.v.), sought to impose a constitution upon the Empress by which the chief power would have been vested in the bands of a small fac tion of the nobility. (See DOLGORUKI. ) The at tempt, however, failed. and Dmitri died in prison at Schliisselburg.— GouTznr ( 1674 1730), brother of Vasily, entered the army at the age of twelve and early distinguished himself against the Turks. In 1700 he commanded a Russian corps, operating against the Swedes in Lithuania; in 1708 he gained the important vic tory of Lyesnaya, and in 1714 overran Finland, and was Governor of the country until 1721, in which year he conducted the negotiations lead ing to the Pence of Nystad. Golitzin was one of the greatest generals Russia has ever pro duced and a man of many abilities and admirable character. As Governor of Finland his conduct was marked by such justice and kindliness as to gain him, from a conquered population, the title of Finskbog. `Godhead of the Finns.'—ALEx
ANDER GOLIT7.IN (171S-83), son of Mikhail, after acting in the diplomatic service of Russia at Constantinople and Dresden, entered the army and fought with distinction in the Seven Years' War. In 1769 he took Khotin from the Turks. He was subsequently Governor of Saint Petersburg and field marshal.—Dmrrai ALEXEYEVITCH GOLITZIN (1735-1803) was a well known diplomat and man of letters. From 1765 to 1773 he was Russian Ambassador at Paris, where he lived in close touch with Voltaire and other literary men of the time. In 1773 he be came Ambassador at The Hague, whence, on the outbreak of the French Revolution, he retired to Germany, where he devoted himself to the study of the physical sciences. He wrote: Description physique de la Tauride (1788) ; Traite de mineralogie (1792) ; L'esprit des econo mistes ( 1796 ).—His wife, ADELIIEID AMALIE (1748-1806), was a fervent Catholic. She made her home at Munster, and became the centre of a band of religious enthusiasts and mystics, whose efforts were directed toward counteracting the prevailing materialism of the age. Her son DMITRI was a Catholic missionary in the United States. See GALLITZIN, DMITRI—ALEXANDER NIKOLAVEVITCII GOLITZIN (1774-1844) was one of the most influential counselors of Alexander I., together with whom he had been brought up. He became Procurator of the Holy Synod in 1803, and from 1817 to 1824 was Minister of Education and Public Worship. His liberal views aroused the opposition of the conservative element among the clergy, and with the accession of Nicholas I. he lost all influence.—EMANUEL MucHamoviron GouTzIN (1804-53) was born in Paris, and studied at the Ecole Polytechnique under Gay Lussac. He entered the Russian Army in 1825, and distinguished himself at the storming of Varna (1828), but retired from the army in the following year. He led a life of dilettante schol arship in the capitals of Western Europe, his chief interest lying in geography. He contributed to the Bulletin de la Societe de Geographic, in Paris, and translated Ferdinand von Wrangel's Voyage to Siberia from the Russian. He also wrote La Russie du 17eme siecle dens see rapports avec i'Europe occidentale, which was published two years after his death.—NixotAr SERGEYE VITCH GOLITZIN (1808.92) entered the army in 1825 and rose to be lieutenant-general. He wrote A. Military History of the World from the Most Ancient Times (13 vols., 1872 et seq.).
014-V75s, JACOBUS (1596-1667). A Dutch Orientalist and mathematician. He was born at The Hague, studied at Leyden, and there, in 1624, became professor of Arabic, and in 1629 professor of mathematics. He published a Lexi con Arabico-Latinum ( 1653), and numerous translations from the Arabic.