In what year did Leo Tolstoy marry Sofya Behrs?

Leo Tolstoy married Sofya Behrs in 1862.

The couple married on 23 September 1862, when Tolstoy was 34 and Sofya Behrs was 18. Sofya, also known as Sofia or Sofya Tolstaya, was the daughter of Andrei Behrs, a physician connected with the Moscow court. Their marriage lasted nearly half a century.

Sofya became Tolstoy’s copyist, editor, household manager, and business representative. She repeatedly copied manuscripts of his major works, including War and Peace, which survives in numerous handwritten drafts because of her labor.

Their relationship was productive but often tense, especially as Tolstoy’s religious and ethical views changed. They had thirteen children together, five of whom died before adulthood. Tolstoy left home shortly before his death in 1910, while Sofya remained at Yasnaya Polyana.