In the 19th century, it was joked that out of ten people walking along Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg, at least one would always be a Prince Golitsyn. This was indeed the most numerous noble family in Russia. As early as the 16th century, it split into four extensive branches and multiplied incredibly. The princely family Golitsyn descends from the Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas, who lived in the 14th century. The surname first appeared as a nickname: Mikhail Bulgakov-Golitsa was a boyar under the Russian Grand Duke Vasily III. This was because he wore a chainmail glove, "golitsa," on his left hand. The Golitsyns owned vast lands in Moscow and its surroundings: the estates of Bolshie and Malie Vyazemy, Kuzminki, and others belonged to them. At one time, they even owned the Arkhangelskoye estate. The princes were close to many tsars – they served as governors under Ivan the Terrible, and one was a favorite of Tsarevna Sophia, sister of Peter I. During the Time of Troubles, Andrei Vasilyevich Golitsyn was part of the "Council of Seven Boyars" and essentially ruled the country for a while. The women of the family were also famous. For example, Natalia Petrovna Golitsyna was a lady-in-waiting at the court of four emperors and became the prototype of Pushkin's "Queen of Spades."