<scp>T</scp> olstoy, <scp>L</scp> eo <scp>N</scp> ikolaevitch (1828–1910)
Journal: The Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization
Year: 2011

Abstract Count Leo Nikolaevitch Tolstoy was born to a wealthy, aristocratic family at the family estate of Yasnaya Polyana, in Russia. His parents died when he was a child, and he was raised under the guardianship of his aunt. As a youth, he was divided: on the one hand, he was committed to a rational system of self‐perfection; on the other, he was drawn to recklessness, gambling, and promiscuity. He left his university studies to become a soldier, and in his literary work he drew upon his exper