Leo Tolstoy: descendants, family tree. Children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy

Kulinich Nadezhda. Grade 11. 2009.

A woman, you see, this is such a thing,
no matter how much you study it,
everything will be completely new.
Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy

The relationship between a man and a woman is a perennial topic. It is impossible to understand them on the fly, it just takes a long time. In general, what is this feeling - love? Everyone understands it in their own way, and everyone has a view on this matter. Someone believes that love is impossible without suffering, someone is convinced that a person in love is to some extent insane. How many people - so many opinions. Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, who possesses a rich spiritual world, also tried to understand this feeling, and that is why there were many entries in his numerous diaries made about this feeling. I will try to find out what place love occupies in the rich life of a writer, and how he relates to the beautiful, weaker sex.
The oneness of Tolstoy begins to manifest itself from an early age, when he begins to keep diaries, recording in them his thoughts, experiences, and everything that happens. But the unusualness lies in the fact that Lev Nikolaevich, while still quite a child, begins to develop a number of rules, which, in his opinion, should have helped to rise to a higher level, overcome evil, and embark on the path to another, more improved life. "I was naturally bashful, but my bashfulness was further increased by the conviction of my ugliness" (Leo Tolstoy). All his life he fought with his shortcomings, made rules for himself, and he himself broke them, trying to find the truth.

In one of his diaries, Tolstoy wrote about his youth: “During this period of time, which I consider the limit of adolescence and the beginning of adolescence, the basis of my dreams were four feelings, and one of them was love for her, for an imaginary woman, whom I dreamed of in in the same sense, and in which I expected to meet somewhere at any moment ”. Most young people and girls, in my opinion, it is typical for them to come up with their own ideal, and then try to meet such a person who would be somehow similar to this very ideal. At first, he was unlucky with girls, and it was depressing, thoughts haunted him. After graduating from university, he returned to his native village of Yasnaya Polyana, in which a completely new rule came to his mind, which put an end to the previous one. “… Look at the society of women as a necessary nuisance in public life, and how much can one move away from them? - in fact: from whom do we receive voluptuousness, effeminacy, frivolity in everything and many other vices, if not from a woman? Who is to blame for the fact that we are deprived of the feelings inherent in us: courage, firmness, prudence, justice and others - if not women? Women are more receptive than men, therefore, in the age of virtue, women were better than us. In the present depraved, vicious age, they are worse than us. " It was difficult for a nineteen-year-old boy to follow the rule of "stay away from women", as it was difficult to overcome the "voluptuousness" that had become a habit. For this reason, he had to introduce a new rule: “Every day exercise. According to religion, women should not have. " The desire to know real happiness did not leave him. Lev Nikolaevich was convinced that "love, selflessness is one true, independent of chance happiness." He decides to go to Moscow with an emerging thirst for ideal, platonic love for a woman, a love that would lose all lower aspirations and would give spiritual joy, spiritual uplift and moral pleasure. He waited for this very love, until fate let him know about it, which was difficult to resist in everything.
Tolstoy's first youthful hobby was Zinaida Modestovna Molostvova. He was interested, in my opinion, not so much the girl herself and her fate, but also his heart and soul experiences. He was in love, and he liked this feeling of lightness and carelessness. In those moments, he was not burdened with all the petty passions that had spoiled his earlier enjoyment of life. But the question of whether to propose to Zinaida did not even arise in his head. A little later he wrote: "My relationship with Zinaida remained at the stage of pure striving for each other." Tolstoy's shyness did not allow their relationship to get more complicated.
After Molostvova, Lev Nikolaevich still had many hobbies: Valery Arsenyev is a girl, whom he seriously thought about marrying, but never made a step towards married life; daughter of Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev - E.F. Tyutchev, E. V. Lvova, whom he sincerely wanted to fall in love with, but could not, and many others.
Now it's time to move on to the first, truly serious hobby, and to the first marriage of Tolstoy to Sophia Bers.
I wrote to my sister Masha Tolstoy: “Mashenka, the Bers family is especially attractive to me, and if I ever got married, it would only be in their family.” Sophia's mother, Lyubov Aleksandrovna Bers, has been friends with the Tolstoy family since childhood. Lev Nikolayevich loved to stay with the Bers at the dacha in Pokrovsky-Streshnevo. He was happy to tinker with children - little Sophia and her sisters Lisa and Tanya. But then he left for the Caucasus, and when he returned, the little girls had already turned into girls. He visited them almost every day, and there were rumors that Tolstoy was going to propose to his older sister. Liza even managed, let's say, to cultivate love for Lev Nikolaevich in herself, but all that remained was to sort out his feelings. Alas, he felt nothing for her. A little later, at the age of thirty-four, Tolstoy first draws attention to his middle sister, Sophia, who at that time had already reached adulthood.
On August 23, 1862, a note about his future wife appears in the writer's diary for the first time: “I spent the night at the Berses. Child! It seems! And the confusion is great. Oh, how to get out on a clear and honest chair! I am afraid of myself; what if it is a desire for love, and not love? I try to look only at her weaknesses and yet it is. Child! It seems!"
September 16 - offer;
September 23rd - wedding.
Now, I have to find out if it was really love, or did Lev Nikolaevich make the mistake of hurrying to marry her? I noticed something strange. This oddity lies in the fact that when Tolstoy wanted to marry Valeria Arsenyeva, for several months he was studying her character, making the highest demands on her. But in this situation, everything happened in a matter of days. At first, he was not even embarrassed by such a colossal age difference. But later, when he seriously thought about his act, he began to be tormented by doubts about whether he did the right thing in relation to the young girl. Yes, marriage, he tried to find a wife who would suit him, who would be similar to his "fictional" ideal. But not in this case. He was drawn to young Sophia Bers, and he could not help himself. He felt himself under the rule of a certain force, the struggle against which would not have turned into success. It will be understood by everyone who has ever experienced this at least once in their life.
The first months after the wedding were unforgettable for the “lovers”. He was happy, and so was she. "It cannot be that everything ends only with life." But not without those things that surprised the writer. It's no secret that in any married couple there are sometimes disputes, troubles, problems, and Tolstoy noticed this. These little things seemed naively funny to him. He was confident that when he got married, their family would be something special, different from others. But what was his surprise when he realized that his family is built precisely on such little things, such as jealousy, vanity, arguments, hysteria, discontent. He could not get used to the wild jealousy of his wife, who was jealous of him for almost every woman with whom he talked. Sophia was alarmed by her husband's egoism and his endless, sincere love for the people.
In my opinion, Lev Nikolaevich himself gave the reason for the disorder in the family. He was a very difficult person. Constant changes in the inner and spiritual world, new rules and views on the world - all this interfered with family happiness. Sophia Bers for Tolstoy, in my opinion, was a test, overcoming evil, the road to another life, while for her he was the beginning of everything, the basis of her family building.
After the completion of Anna Karenina, Tolstoy begins to think that he is living absolutely not as he should. The count sought salvation and answers to eternal questions in the Bible. As a result, he formulated his five commandments, by which every person should live: do not fall into anger; do not give in to lust; do not bind yourself with vows; do not resist the evil; be equally good with the righteous and the unrighteous. He began to build his life according to these very commandments. The wife finally ceased to understand him and began to take offense more often. “You have ceased to be my wife! - the count reproached his wife. - Who are you? Helper to your husband? For a long time you have only been bothering me. Mother? You don't want to have more children! Nurse? You take care of yourself and lure a mother away from someone else's child! A friend of my nights? Even from this you make a toy in order to take power over me! " Then they managed to make up, but such quarrels all continued smoothly.
Sophia Bers described in her diary one situation that finally alienated the spouses from each other. Once, when she read aloud Tyutchev's poems "The Last Love", the count said that in this work they speak too sublimely about the most petty and base feeling, about love. Sophia was very surprised and even to some extent angry. “You have never loved, you are not capable of love at all,” she told him.
“Lyovochka, dear. For what? For so many years I have been your faithful friend. What happened to you? I have long ceased to understand you. Goodbye, my dear husband, I love you ... ”- these were the last words of Sofya Andreevna to her husband before he died. She survived him by nine years.
There was no real love, there was only a sensual attraction that gave way to time. In my opinion, this phrase absolutely correctly characterizes the relationship between the Tolstoys. One of the obstacles standing in the way of family happiness was the big age difference. She perceived everything around her a little differently; did not want to accept her husband as he was; did not know how to yield to him in disputes. In my opinion, sincere relations are built on trust, understanding and mutual concessions as well. There was also a lot of negativity on his part. The world of love collapsed when Count Tolstoy's new mood pushed his warm feelings into the background. Who knows how their family life would have turned out if they could take into account all of the above disagreements.

Leo Tolstoy was born on September 9, 1828 in the Tula province (Russia) into a family belonging to the noble class. In the 1860s, he wrote his first major novel, War and Peace. In 1873, Tolstoy began work on the second of his most famous books, Anna Karenina.

He continued to write fiction throughout the 1880s and 1890s. One of his most successful later works is The Death of Ivan Ilyich. Tolstoy died on November 20, 1910 in Astapovo, Russia.

The first years of life

On September 9, 1828, the future writer Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy was born in Yasnaya Polyana (Tula province, Russia). He was the fourth child in a large noble family. In 1830, when Tolstoy's mother, née Princess Volkonskaya, died, his father's cousin took over the care of the children. Their father, Count Nikolai Tolstoy, died seven years later, and their aunt was appointed guardian. After the death of aunt Leo Tolstoy, his brothers and sisters moved to their second aunt in Kazan. Although Tolstoy experienced many losses at an early age, he later idealized his childhood memories in his work.

It is important to note that primary education in the biography of Tolstoy was received at home, he was given lessons by French and German teachers. In 1843 he entered the Faculty of Oriental Languages ​​at the Imperial Kazan University. Tolstoy did not succeed in his studies - low grades forced him to move to an easier law faculty. Further academic difficulties led Tolstoy to eventually leave the Imperial Kazan University in 1847 without a degree. He returned to his parents' estate, where he was going to start farming. However, his undertaking ended in failure - he was too often absent, leaving for Tula and Moscow. What he really excelled at was keeping his own diary - it was this lifelong habit that inspired Leo Tolstoy for most of his works.

Tolstoy was fond of music, his favorite composers were Schumann, Bach, Chopin, Mozart, Mendelssohn. Lev Nikolaevich could play their works for several hours a day.

Once, the elder brother of Tolstoy, Nikolai, during his army leave, came to visit Lev, and persuaded his brother to join the army as a cadet to the south, to the Caucasus mountains, where he served. After serving as a cadet, Leo Tolstoy was transferred to Sevastopol in November 1854, where he fought in the Crimean War until August 1855.

Early publications

During his years as a cadet in the army, Tolstoy had a lot of free time. During quiet periods, he worked on an autobiographical story called Childhood. In it, he wrote about his favorite childhood memories. In 1852, Tolstoy submitted the story to Sovremennik, the most popular magazine of the time. The story was happily accepted, and it became Tolstoy's first publication. Since that time, critics have put him on a par with already famous writers, among whom were Ivan Turgenev (with whom Tolstoy made friends), Ivan Goncharov, Alexander Ostrovsky and others.

After completing the story "Childhood", Tolstoy began to write about his daily life in the army outpost in the Caucasus. Started in the army years, the work "Cossacks", he finished only in 1862, after he had already left the army.

Surprisingly, Tolstoy managed to continue writing during the active battles in the Crimean War. During this time he wrote Boyhood (1854), a sequel to Childhood, the second book in Tolstoy's autobiographical trilogy. At the height of the Crimean War, Tolstoy expressed his views on the striking contradictions of the war through the trilogy of Sevastopol Tales. In the second book of Sevastopol Tales, Tolstoy experimented with a relatively new technique: part of the story is presented as a narrative from the person of a soldier.

After the end of the Crimean War, Tolstoy left the army and returned to Russia. Arriving home, the author was very popular on the literary scene of St. Petersburg.

Stubborn and arrogant, Tolstoy refused to belong to any particular school of thought. Declaring himself an anarchist, he left for Paris in 1857. Once there, he lost all his money and was forced to return home to Russia. He also managed to publish Youth, the third part of an autobiographical trilogy, in 1857.

Returning to Russia in 1862, Tolstoy published the first of 12 issues of the thematic magazine Yasnaya Polyana. In the same year he married the daughter of a doctor named Sofya Andreevna Bers.

Major novels

Living in Yasnaya Polyana with his wife and children, Tolstoy spent most of the 1860s working on his first famous novel, War and Peace. Part of the novel was first published in the Russian Bulletin in 1865 under the title "Year 1805". By 1868, he had released three more chapters. A year later, the novel was completely finished. Both critics and the public have argued about the historical justice of the Napoleonic Wars in the novel, coupled with the development of the stories of its thoughtful and realistic yet fictional characters. The novel is also unique in that it includes three long satirical essays on the laws of history. Among the ideas that Tolstoy also tries to convey in this novel is the conviction that a person's position in society and the meaning of human life are mainly derivatives of his daily activities.

After the success of War and Peace in 1873, Tolstoy began work on his second most famous book, Anna Karenina. It was based in part on real events during the Russian-Turkish war. Like War and Peace, this book describes some biographical events from the life of Tolstoy himself, this is especially noticeable in the romantic relationship between the characters of Kitty and Levin, which is said to be reminiscent of Tolstoy's courtship of his own wife.

The first lines of the book "Anna Karenina" are among the most famous: "All happy families are alike, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Anna Karenina was published in parts from 1873 to 1877, and was highly acclaimed by the public. The royalties received for the novel rapidly enriched the writer.

Conversion

Despite the success of Anna Karenina, after the completion of the novel, Tolstoy experienced a spiritual crisis and was depressed. The next stage in the biography of Leo Tolstoy is characterized by the search for the meaning of life. The writer first turned to the Russian Orthodox Church, but did not find answers to his questions there. He concluded that Christian churches were corrupt and, instead of an organized religion, promoted their own beliefs. He decided to express these beliefs by founding a new publication in 1883 called The Mediator.
As a result, for his non-standard and conflicting spiritual beliefs, Tolstoy was excommunicated from the Russian Orthodox Church. He was even watched by the secret police. When Tolstoy, led by his new conviction, wanted to give away all his money and give up everything that was superfluous, his wife was categorically against it. Not wanting to escalate the situation, Tolstoy reluctantly agreed to a compromise: he transferred the copyright to his wife and, apparently, all deductions for his work until 1881.

Late fiction

In addition to his religious treatises, Tolstoy continued to write fiction throughout the 1880s and 1890s. Among the genres of his later works were moral stories and realistic fiction. One of the most successful among his later works was the story "The Death of Ivan Ilyich", written in 1886. The main character is struggling to fight the death looming over him. In short, Ivan Ilyich is horrified by the realization that he wasted his life on trifles, but this realization comes to him too late.

In 1898, Tolstoy wrote Father Sergius, a work of fiction in which he criticizes the beliefs he developed after his spiritual transformation. The following year, he wrote his third voluminous novel, Resurrection. The work received good reviews, but this success hardly matched the level of recognition of his previous novels. Other later works of Tolstoy are essays on art, a satirical play called The Living Corpse, written in 1890, and a story called Hadji Murad (1904), which was discovered and published after his death. In 1903, Tolstoy wrote a short story "After the Ball", which was first published after his death, in 1911.

Old age

During his later years, Tolstoy reaped the benefits of international recognition. However, he was still struggling to reconcile his spiritual beliefs with the tensions he created in his married life. His wife not only did not agree with his teaching, she did not approve of his students, who regularly visited Tolstoy in the family estate. Eager to avoid the growing discontent of his wife, in October 1910, Tolstoy and his youngest daughter Alexandra embarked on a pilgrimage. Alexandra was the doctor for her elderly father during the trip. Trying not to flaunt their privacy, they traveled incognito, hoping to evade unnecessary inquiries, but sometimes to no avail.

Death and legacy

Unfortunately, the pilgrimage proved too burdensome for the aging writer. In November 1910, the head of the small railway station Astapovo opened the doors of his house for Tolstoy so that the sick writer could rest. Shortly thereafter, on November 20, 1910, Tolstoy died. He was buried in his family estate, Yasnaya Polyana, where Tolstoy lost so many people close to him.

To this day, Tolstoy's novels are considered among the finest achievements of literary art. War and Peace is often cited as the greatest novel ever written. In the modern scientific community, Tolstoy is widely recognized as the owner of the gift of describing the unconscious motives of character, the refinement of which he defended, emphasizing the role of everyday actions in determining the character and goals of people.

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From his youth, Lev Nikolayevich was acquainted with Lyubov Aleksandrovna Islavina, in marriage Bers (1826-1886), he loved to play with her children Liza, Sonya and Tanya. When the daughters of the Bersov grew up, Lev Nikolaevich thought about marrying his eldest daughter Lisa, hesitated for a long time until he made a choice in favor of his middle daughter Sophia. Sofya Andreevna agreed when she was 18 years old, and the count was 34 years old, and on September 23, 1862, Lev Nikolaevich married her, having previously admitted his premarital relations.

For some time in his life, the brightest period begins - he is truly happy, largely due to the practicality of his wife, material well-being, outstanding literary creativity and, in connection with it, all-Russian and world fame. In the person of his wife, he found an assistant in all matters, practical and literary - in the absence of the secretary, she rewrote his drafts several times. However, very soon, happiness is overshadowed by the inevitable petty quarrels, fleeting quarrels, mutual misunderstanding, which only worsened over the years.

For his family, Lev Tolstoy proposed some kind of “life plan”, according to which he intended to give part of his income to the poor and schools, and to simplify the lifestyle of his family (life, food, clothing), while also selling and distributing “ all unnecessary»: Piano, furniture, carriages. His wife, Sofya Andreevna, was clearly not satisfied with such a plan, on the basis of which the first serious conflict broke out in them and the beginning of it " undeclared war»For a secure future for their children. And in 1892, Tolstoy signed a separate act and transferred all the property to his wife and children, not wanting to be the owner. Nevertheless, together they lived in great love for almost fifty years.

In addition, his older brother Sergei Nikolaevich Tolstoy was going to marry Sofya Andreevna's younger sister, Tatyana Bers. But Sergei's unofficial marriage to the gypsy singer Maria Mikhailovna Shishkina (who had four children from him) made it impossible for Sergei and Tatiana to marry.

In addition, Sophia Andreevna's father, life-doctor Andrei Gustav (Evstafievich) Bers, even before marriage with Islavina, had a daughter, Varvara, by Varvara Petrovna Turgeneva, the mother of Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev. On her mother's side, Varya was Ivan Turgenev's sister, and on her father's side, S. A. Tolstoy, thus, together with his marriage, Leo Tolstoy acquired a relationship with I. S. Turgenev.

From the marriage of Lev Nikolaevich with Sofya Andreevna, 13 children were born, five of whom died in childhood.

• 1. Sergei (July 10, 1863 - December 23, 1947), composer, musicologist.
• 2. Tatiana (October 4, 1864 - September 21, 1950). Since 1899 she has been married to Mikhail Sergeevich Sukhotin. In 1917-1923 she was the curator of the Yasnaya Polyana estate museum. In 1925 she emigrated with her daughter. Daughter Tatyana Mikhailovna Sukhotina-Albertini (1905-1996).
• 3. Ilya (May 22, 1866 - December 11, 1933), writer, memoirist. In 1916 he left Russia and went to the USA.
• 4. Leo (May 20, 1869 - December 18, 1945), writer, sculptor. In 1918 he emigrated, lived in France, Italy, Sweden; died in Sweden.
• 5.Maria (February 12, 1871 - November 27, 1906). Since 1897 she has been married to Nikolai Leonidovich Obolensky (1872-1934). She died of pneumonia. Buried in the village. Kochaki, Krapivensky district (modern Tul. Region, Shchekinsky district, Kochaki village).
• 6. Peter (1872-1873).
• 7.Nicholas (1874-1875).
• 8. Barbarian (1875-1875).
• 9.Andrei (1877-1916), an official for special assignments under the Tula governor. Member of the Russian-Japanese War. Died in Petrograd from general blood poisoning.
• 10. Michael (1879-1944). In 1920 he emigrated, lived in Turkey, Yugoslavia, France and Morocco. Died on October 19, 1944 in Morocco.
• 11.Alexey (1881-1886).
• 12. Alexandra (1884-1979). From the age of 16 she became an assistant to her father. By bequest, she received the copyright for his literary heritage. For participation in the First World War, she was awarded three St. George's Crosses and was awarded the rank of colonel. In 1929 she left Russia, in 1941 she received US citizenship. Died September 26, 1979 at Valley Cottage, New York.
• 13. Ivan (1888-1895).

As of 2010, in total, there were more than 350 descendants of L. N. Tolstoy (including both living and already dead) living in 25 countries of the world. Most of them are descendants of Lev Lvovich Tolstoy, who had 10 children, and the third son of Lev Nikolaevich. Since 2000, once every two years, meetings of the writer's descendants have been held in Yasnaya Polyana.

Sergei Lvovich Tolstoy.

The first-born extremely pleased his father with his talents and similarity with the elder brother of the writer, Nikolai Nikolaevich. He received the basics of science at home, and later passed the exams for a matriculation certificate at the Tula gymnasium. He graduated from the walls of Moscow University with the title of candidate of sciences, having brilliantly defended his work on heavy petroleum oils. At the same time, he improved in music, mastering not only the technique of playing, but also theory, harmony, Russian song.

Sergei Lvovich Tolstoy.

Sergei Lvovich became famous as a talented composer, musical ethnographer and author of articles and teaching materials. He was a professor at the Moscow Conservatory. After that, he was engaged in preserving the legacy of his father, wrote memoirs and articles on the role of music in the life of Leo Tolstoy under the pseudonym S. Brodinsky. He spent every summer in Yasnaya Polyana. He was married twice, his son Sergei was born in his first marriage.

Sergey Lvovich died at the age of 84 in Moscow.

Tatiana Lvovna Sukhotina.

Leo Tolstoy wrote about a special closeness with Tatyana and about her ability to create a cheerful, benevolent atmosphere around herself.

Tatiana studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. Subsequently, she painted about 30 graphic portraits of her father. Having inherited his writing talent, she published her own diary, which she kept from the age of 14, a number of essays and memoirs. She was the caretaker of the Tolstoy House-Museum.

1870 Children of Lev Nikolaevich: Ilya, Lev, Tatiana and Sergei. / Photo: from the non-memorial fund of the museum-estate "Yasnaya Polyana",

In 1925 she emigrated with her daughter Tatyana, born in marriage to Mikhail Sukhotin, the leader of the district nobility and a member of the first State Duma.

Tatiana Lvovna died at the age of 85 in Rome.

Ilya Lvovich Tolstoy.

Ilya caused a lot of trouble for parents in childhood, diligently violating prohibitions and showing no talent for science. However, it was him who Leo Tolstoy considered the most gifted literary. He failed to graduate from high school, was in military service, then worked as an official, an agent for the liquidation of estates, served in a bank. Later he became a journalist, founded a newspaper, but received recognition after emigrating to America. There, his works were published in various publications, but he received the main income by lecturing on his father's work.

L.N. Tolstoy with his son Ilya Lvovich. 1903 g.

He was married twice, in his first marriage with Sophia Filosofova, seven children were born. He died at the age of 67 in America from cancer.

Lev Lvovich Tolstoy.

The third son of the writer was closer to his mother, from her he inherited common sense. Later, he always took the side of his mother in family conflicts. Lev Lvovich wrote about himself as of a very contradictory nature, and Sofya Andreevna noted his nervousness and lack of cheerfulness.

Lev Lvovich Tolstoy.

Not a special zeal in the sciences, however, it was compensated by a literary talent, musicality and artistic talent. He left his mark on history as the author of many works for children and memories of his father. From 1918 he lived in Sweden.

He was married twice, in his first marriage with Dora Westerlund, 10 children were born, in the second, one son was born with Marianne Solskaya. He died in Sweden in 1945.

Maria Lvovna Obolenskaya.

Maria was a sick child from childhood. She is the only one of all the children to whom the writer showed outward signs of love, he could savor. The girl did not develop a relationship with her mother, but from childhood she became a faithful assistant, companion and favorite of her father. She was engaged in educational work, gave a lot of strength and health, helping those in need.

She died of pneumonia at the age of 35 in Yasnaya Polyana.

Andrey Lvovich Tolstoy.

In the upbringing of the younger children born after the death of Peter, Nikolai and Varvara, Lev Nikolaevich took little part. This is not to say that he did not love them, but he instructed much less. Andrey was a favorite of his mother. But he upset his father a lot with his very free way of life, love of wine and women. Andrei Lvovich did not show any special talents, he took part in the Russian-Japanese war, was wounded and the St. George's Cross for bravery. After that he held the position of a high-ranking official.

Andrey Lvovich Tolstoy.

He was married twice, had three children from two marriages. Died as a result of sepsis at the age of 39 in Petrograd. Shortly before his death, he had a prophetic dream, in which he attended his own funeral.

Mikhail Lvovich Tolstoy.

Musical talent and desire to compose music were not further reflected in the life of Mikhail. He chose the path of the military, took part in the First World War. In 1920 he emigrated. In recent years he lived in Morocco, where his only work, "Mitya Tiverin", was written, which is Mikhail Lvovich's memoirs about life in Yasnaya Polyana. He was married and had 9 children.

He died in Morocco at the age of 65.

Alexandra Lvovna Tolstaya with her father.

The youngest daughter of the writer already at the age of 16 coped with the work of her father's personal secretary. Many noted her talent and a serious attitude towards life. She took part in the First World War as a sister of mercy, was the head of the military medical detachment.

Alexandra Lvovna Tolstaya.

In 1920 she was arrested and sentenced to three years, after early release she returned to Yasnaya Polyana, where in 1924 she became the curator of the museum, while simultaneously doing educational work. Emigrated to America in 1929. She actively lectured, wrote memoirs about her father, created and headed the Tolstoy Foundation. She helped Russian emigrants to settle in the United States.

For her anti-Soviet statements, it was forbidden to mention her name even during museum excursions, photographs and newsreels with her participation were removed from the exhibitions.

She died at the age of 95 in America.

September 23, 1862 Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy married Sofya Andreevna Bers... She at that time was 18 years old, count - 34. They lived together for 48 years, until Tolstoy's death, and this marriage cannot be called easy or cloudlessly happy. Nevertheless, Sofya Andreevna gave birth to 13 children to the count, published both the lifetime collection of his works and the posthumous edition of his letters. Tolstoy, in the last message written to his wife after a quarrel and before leaving home, on his last journey to Astapovo station, admitted that he loved her, no matter what - only he could not live with her. The story of love and life of the Count and Countess Tolstoy is recalled by AiF.ru.

Reproduction of painting by artist Ilya Repin "Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy and Sofia Andreevna Tolstaya at the table". Photo: RIA Novosti

Sofya Andreevna, both during her husband's life and after his death, was accused of not understanding her husband, not sharing his ideas, being too mundane and far from the philosophical views of the count. He himself accused her of this, this, in fact, became the cause of numerous disagreements that darkened the last 20 years of their life together. And yet Sofya Andreevna cannot be reproached for being a bad wife. Having devoted her whole life not only to the birth and upbringing of numerous children, but also to housekeeping, household chores, solving peasant and economic problems, as well as preserving the creative heritage of the great husband, she forgot about dresses and social life.

Writer Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy with his wife Sophia. Gaspra. Crimea. Reproduction of a 1902 photograph. Photo: RIA Novosti Before meeting his first and only wife, Count Tolstoy - a descendant of an ancient noble family, in which the blood of several noble families was mixed at once - had already managed to make both a military and a teaching career, was a famous writer. Tolstoy was familiar with the Bersov family even before his service in the Caucasus and travel to Europe in the 50s. Sophia was the second of three daughters of a doctor at the Moscow Palace Office Andrey Bers and his wife Lyubov Bers, nee Islavina... The Bersy lived in Moscow, in an apartment in the Kremlin, but they often visited the Islavins' Tula estate in the village of Ivitsy, not far from Yasnaya Polyana. Lyubov Alexandrovna was friends with Lev Nikolaevich's sister Mary, her brother Konstantin- with the graph himself. He saw Sophia and her sisters for the first time as children, they spent time together both in Yasnaya Polyana and in Moscow, played the piano, sang and even once staged an opera house.

Writer Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy with his wife Sofya Andreevna, 1910. Photo: RIA Novosti

Sophia received an excellent education at home - from childhood, her mother instilled in her children a love of literature, and later a diploma as a home teacher at Moscow University and wrote short stories. In addition, the future Countess Tolstaya from her youth was fond of writing stories and kept a diary, which would later be recognized as one of the outstanding examples of the memoir genre. Returning to Moscow, Tolstoy found no longer a little girl with whom he had once staged home performances, but a charming girl. Families again began to visit each other, and the Berses clearly noticed the count's interest in one of their daughters, but for a long time they believed that Tolstoy would woo the elder Elizabeth. For some time, as you know, he himself doubted, but after another day spent with Bers in Yasnaya Polyana in August 1862, he made a final decision. Sophia conquered him with her spontaneity, simplicity and clarity of judgment. They parted for a few days, after which the count himself came to Ivica - to the ball, which was organized by the Bersa and at which Sophia danced so that there was no doubt in Tolstoy's heart. It is even believed that the writer conveyed his own feelings at that moment in War and Peace, in the scene where Prince Andrei watches Natasha Rostova at her first ball. On September 16, Lev Nikolaevich asked the Bers for the hand of their daughter, having previously sent a letter to Sophia to make sure that she agreed: “Tell me, as an honest man, do you want to be my wife? Only if from the bottom of your heart, you can boldly say: yes, or it is better to say: no, if you have a shadow of self-doubt. For God's sake, ask yourself well. I will be scared to hear: no, but I foresee it and will find the strength to take it down. But if I’m never loved by my husband as I love, it will be awful! ” Sophia immediately agreed.

Wanting to be honest with his future wife, Tolstoy gave her his diary to read - this is how the girl learned about the stormy past of the groom, about gambling, about numerous novels and passionate hobbies, including the connection with a peasant girl Aksinya who was expecting a child from him. Sofya Andreevna was shocked, but she hid her feelings as best she could, nevertheless she will carry the memory of these revelations throughout her life.

The wedding was played just a week after the engagement - the parents could not resist the pressure of the count, who wanted to get married as soon as possible. It seemed to him that after so many years he had finally found the one he had dreamed of as a child. Having lost his mother early, he grew up listening to stories about her, and thought that his future wife should also be a faithful, loving, companion who completely shares his views, mother and helper, simple and at the same time able to appreciate the beauty of literature and the gift her husband. This is exactly how he saw Sofya Andreevna - an 18-year-old girl who abandoned city life, secular receptions and beautiful outfits for the sake of living next to her husband on his country estate. The girl took care of the household, gradually getting used to rural life, so different from that to which she was accustomed.

Leo Tolstoy with his wife Sophia (center) on the porch of the Yasnaya Polyana house on Troitsin Day, 1909. Photo: RIA Novosti

Firstborn Seryozha Sofya Andreevna gave birth to in 1863. Tolstoy then set about writing War and Peace. Despite a difficult pregnancy, his wife not only continued to do household chores, but also helped her husband in his work - she copied drafts completely.

Writer Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy and his wife Sofya Andreevna drinking tea at home in Yasnaya Polyana, 1908. Photo: RIA Novosti

For the first time, Sofya Andreevna showed her character after the birth of Seryozha. Unable to feed him herself, she demanded that the count bring a wet nurse, although he was categorically against, saying that then the children of this woman would be left without milk. For the rest, she fully followed the rules established by her husband, solved the problems of peasants in the surrounding villages, even treated them. She taught and raised all the children at home: in total, Sofya Andreevna gave birth to 13 children to Tolstoy, five of whom died at an early age.

Russian writer Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (left) with his grandchildren Sonya (right) and Ilya (center) in Krekshino, 1909. Photo: RIA Novosti The first twenty years passed almost cloudlessly, but resentments accumulated. In 1877, Tolstoy finished work on Anna Karenina and felt a deep dissatisfaction with life, which upset and even offended Sofya Andreevna. She, who sacrificed everything for him, in return received dissatisfaction with the life that she so diligently arranged for him. Tolstoy's moral quest led him to formulate the commandments by which his family now had to live. The count called, among other things, for the simplest existence, the rejection of meat, alcohol, smoking. He dressed in peasant clothes, made clothes and shoes for himself, his wife and children, he even wanted to give up all property in favor of the villagers - Sofya Andreevna had to work hard to dissuade her husband from this act. She was sincerely offended that her husband, who suddenly felt guilty before all of humanity, did not feel guilt before her and was ready to give up everything she had acquired and protected for so many years. He expected from his wife that she would share not only his material, but also his spiritual life, his philosophical views. For the first time, having had a big quarrel with Sofya Andreevna, Tolstoy left home, and when he returned, he no longer trusted her manuscript - now the responsibility to rewrite the drafts fell on his daughters, to whom Tolstaya was very jealous. The death of the last child also knocked her down, Vani born in 1888 - he did not live to be seven years old. This grief at first brought the spouses closer, but not for long - the abyss that separated them, mutual resentment and misunderstanding, all this pushed Sofya Andreevna to seek solace on the side. She took up music, began to travel to Moscow to take lessons from a teacher Alexandra Taneeva... Her romantic feelings for the musician were not a secret either for Taneev himself or for Tolstoy, but the relationship remained friendly. But the count, who was jealous, angry, could not forgive this "half-betrayal".

Sophia Tolstaya at the window of the house of the head of the Astapovo station I.M. Ozolin, where the dying Leo Tolstoy lies, 1910. Photo: RIA Novosti. In recent years, mutual suspicion and resentment grew into an almost manic obsession: Sofya Andreevna re-read Tolstoy's diaries, looking for something bad that he could write about her. He scolded his wife for being too suspicious: the last, fatal quarrel took place from October 27 to 28, 1910. Tolstoy packed his things and left home, leaving Sofya Andreevna a farewell letter: “Don't think that I left because I don't love you. I love you and I regret you from the bottom of my heart, but I cannot act differently from what I am doing. " According to the stories of the family, after reading the note, Tolstaya rushed to drown herself - she was miraculously pulled out of the pond. Soon, information came that the count, having caught a cold, was dying of pneumonia at the Astapovo station - the children and his wife, whom he did not want to see even then, came to the sick man's house of the station superintendent. The last meeting of Lev Nikolaevich and Sofya Andreevna took place just before the death of the writer, who died on November 7, 1910. The countess outlived her husband by 9 years, was engaged in publishing his diaries and until the end of her days listened to reproaches that she was a wife not worthy of a genius.