Whom did Leo Tolstoy marry in 1862?

Leo Tolstoy married Sofia Behrs in 1862.

Tolstoy married Sofya Andreyevna Behrs, also known as Sofia Tolstaya, on 23 September 1862. She was the daughter of Andrei Behrs, a Moscow physician, and was eighteen years old at the time of the marriage. Tolstoy was thirty-four.

The couple had thirteen children, five of whom died before reaching adulthood. Sofia managed much of the household and estate while Tolstoy wrote. She also copied and edited his manuscripts, including drafts of War and Peace, and preserved extensive diaries and correspondence.

Their marriage was both productive and deeply troubled. Tolstoy’s changing religious and ethical beliefs, his rejection of property and privilege, and disputes over his writings created severe tensions. Sofia later became an important diarist and literary figure in her own right. Her name is variously transliterated as Sofya, Sofia, or Sophia, while Behrs may appear as Bers in older English sources.