Tolstoys

The Tolstoys are a Russian noble family with a long history in the aristocracy of the Russian Empire. The surname Tolstoy comes from the Russian word tolstoy, meaning thick or fat, a nickname that became a family name and later a marker of social rank and landowning status. Over the centuries, the Tolstoys held estates, held military and civil offices, and produced figures in literature, government, and religion.

The best-known member is Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, commonly anglicized as Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910). He is celebrated as one of world literature’s greatest novelists, with landmark works such as War and Peace and Anna Karenina. In his later years, Tolstoy developed a moral and religious philosophy that came to be known as Tolstoyanism, emphasizing nonviolence, simple living, and ethical critique of state and church institutions. His writings influenced a global audience and spurred a movement around his ideas.

The Tolstoy estate of Yasnaya Polyana near Tula served as the family’s ancestral home and a center of literary creation for Leo Tolstoy. Beyond Leo, the Tolstoy family included several generations of landowners, officers, clergy, and writers who played roles in Russian cultural and political life. The 20th century brought upheaval due to the revolutions and social changes in Russia, and some branches of the family emigrated or reorganized amid new political realities, while others remained in the country.

Tolstoyanism remains a historical reference for a strand of Christian-inspired anarchist and pacifist thought linked to Leo Tolstoy’s writings. The philosophy influenced reformers and thinkers worldwide, with Gandhi notably engaging with Tolstoy’s ideas during his own campaigns for nonviolent resistance.