gost (eminent merchant). He was also a tenant of a royal estate near Solvychegorsk. Afanasy Vladimirovich was still accepted as a relative by Anika's family. But his son, Ivan, was the first of this branch in a continuous downhill trend, both financially and socially. The breach between the wealthy descendants of Anika Stroganov and the poor senior branch of the family had formed by the 1670s, when the wealthy part of the family denied their relationship with the poor one. This may have resulted in the myth of that Anika's elder brothers supposedly died childless. By the late 17th century the living conditions of the poor branch of the Stroganovs were scarcely distinguishable from those of common peasants. Being severely impoverished, this branch began to get involved in manual labour and even robbery. One of this branch, Andrey Vasilyev syn Stroganov, was amongst the Russian pioneers in Siberia in the 17th century. He established strongholds in the Zabaykaliya region. He was later raised to be a head of a Cossack troop. According to the information gathered by historian A. Vvedensky, when in Saint Petersburg the poor relatives visited their wealthy relation's palace located at the crossing of Moyka Street and Nevsky Boulevard; but the servants were ordered to kick the peasant relations out. In 1911, Count Pavel Sergeevich Stroganov died without issue. His fortune of 120 million rubles was to go to the state. The famous lawyer Maklakov initiated research to prove a relationship between the late count and the Stroganovs from Tsyrennikovo. In court Maklakov contended with the late count's relations in the female line; but he won the case. Maklakov settled at Tsyrennikovo, wishing to share the inheritance with Stroganov's relations. However, the inheritance got stuck in red tape. Then the Revolution intervened, and prevented the poor Stroganov branch from coming into their inheritance. Stroganov noble branch The titled branch of the Stroganov family was descended from Anikey Stroganov, the youngest son of Fyodor Lukich Stroganov (d. 1497). Since the 17th century Anika's descendants were very close to the royal court; they mingled with the highest nobility and even intermarried with some. During this time of their prime, they started to alienate their impoverished, almost peasant, relations from the senior line, to the extreme of completely denying the fact of relation. One of the descendants, Grigory Dmitrievich Stroganov (1656–1715), was a supporter of Peter the Great. He was