The original title of the first part of Tolstoy's 'War and Peace' was '1805'. The title refers to the year in which the novel begins, as Napoleon's wars reshape Russian political and aristocratic life.
Tolstoy's early draft was not yet the finished novel. The Russian Messenger began serialising part of it in 1865 under the title '1805', continuing publication in 1866. Tolstoy later revised the manuscript extensively, changing its structure, ending, and title.
The completed work is set mainly during the Napoleonic Wars, including the campaigns of 1805 and the French invasion of Russia in 1812. That makes '1812' a tempting but incorrect option: it is one of the novel's most important years, not the title of the first published draft.
The final title, 'War and Peace', reflects the book's contrasting military and domestic worlds. Its narrative combines fictional families and characters with historical events and Tolstoy's philosophical reflections on history.