page_title: Natalya Golitsyna
section_title: Family and early life
hierarchical_section_title: Natalya Golitsyna / Family and early life
context_page_description: Princess Natalya Petrovna Golitsyna, née Chernysheva or Chernyshyova, was a Russian lady-in-waiting, socialite and noble and Dame of the Order of St. Catherine's first degree.
  Born into the noble Chernyshyov family, Natalya Petrovna was the daughter of the diplomat Pyotr Chernyshyov, ambassador to Berlin at the time of her birth. 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. Appointed one of Empress Catherine the Great's maids of honour in 1762, she married Prince Vladimir Borisovich Golitsyn in 1766. 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. They settled in Paris, where Natalya became a darling of the French court, nicknamed the "Moscow Venus". Returning to Russia after the French Revolution, the family established itself in St Petersburg.
  Princess Golitsyna continued her socialising, establishing a popular salon that became an important focal point of the court.
context_section_description: Natalya was born in Berlin on 28 January 1741, the second daughter of Count Pyotr Chernyshyov, diplomat and ambassador to the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Her mother was Ekaterina Andreyevna, daughter of a famous chief of the secret office in Biron, Count Andrei Ivanovich Ushakov. She was a niece of Counts Zakhar and Ivan Chernyshov and the sister of the lady in waiting Princess Darya Petrovna Saltykova. 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. 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.
  Upon the Chernyshyovs' return to Russia in 1762, Natalya and her sister Darya became known as two of the most learned women in Russia. 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. 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. The early years of her marriage were spent setting her husband's estates in order. The Golitsyns had very extensive households and landholdings, but they were in some disarray. Natalya Petrovna, by travelling from estate to estate, was able to put the estates in order, while also significantly increasing their income. As one of their contemporaries recorded: "Golitsyn was a rich landowner, but a simple-minded person. His wife easily got the better of him, putting him in the rank of a lowly brigadier, and reorganised the estates. 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. She kept all of her household in strict obedience; as the children grew up, they did not dare to sit in her presence."
  In 1783 she left for Europe with her family, settling in Paris for the children's education and her husband's health. She attended the court of Marie Antoinette, where she became known as the "Moscow Venus", well regarded for her dancing ability.  In 1789 the Golitsyns visited London, where the Prince of Wales, the future King George IV, presented her with his autographed portrait. After the French Revolution, Empress Catherine ordered all Russians abroad to return home, and the Golitsyns returned to Russia in 1790. She left two diaries from this period, which were subsequently published; Notes About the Events of My Life (Russian: заметки о событиях моей жизнь), covering the years 1781 to 1783, and Notes About My Travels (Russian: заметки о моих путешествиях), covering the years 1783 to 1790.
caption: The Chernyshyov family in a 1750s portrait by David Lüders. Pyotr Chernyshyov with his wife Ekaterina Andreyevna and their daughters Anna,  Darya and Natalya, and their son Grigory.
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