War and Peace

Character Guide

Spoiler-free — fuller detail (with spoilers, if you want them) lives in the reader's Guide tab.

Pierre Bezukhov (Count Bezukhov)

An awkward, idealistic illegitimate son who unexpectedly inherits a vast fortune and title, struggling to find meaning and purpose in aristocratic Petersburg and Moscow society.

Prince Andrei Bolkonsky

A proud, intelligent young nobleman disillusioned with high society who seeks glory and meaning through military service, leaving behind his pregnant wife.

Natasha Rostova

The vivacious, spirited young daughter of the Rostov family, beloved for her natural charm and emotional openness.

Nikolai Rostov (Nikolenka)

Natasha's impulsive, honor-driven older brother who joins the hussars eager for military glory.

Countess Marya Bolkonskaya (Marya)

Prince Andrei's plain but deeply devout and kind-hearted sister, living under the strict rule of her father at Bald Hills.

Old Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky

Andrei and Marya's demanding, eccentric, and rigidly disciplined father, a retired general living in strict seclusion.

Sonya

The Rostovs' orphaned ward and Natasha's devoted cousin, quietly in love with Nikolai.

Prince Vasili Kuragin

A scheming, socially ambitious courtier who maneuvers for advantageous marriages and inheritances for his children.

Anatole Kuragin

Prince Vasili's handsome, dissolute son known for reckless behavior and romantic intrigue.

Hélène Kuragina (Ellen)

Prince Vasili's strikingly beautiful daughter who becomes involved with Pierre early in the novel.

Count Ilya Rostov

The warm-hearted, generous, and financially imprudent patriarch of the Rostov family.

Countess Natalya Rostova

Nikolai and Natasha's mother, devoted to her children and anxious about the family's declining fortunes.

Mikhail Kutuzov

The elderly, seemingly indolent Russian commander-in-chief whose unconventional patience contrasts with more aggressive generals.

Napoleon Bonaparte

The French Emperor whose invasion of Russia and campaign for Moscow drives the novel's historical narrative.

Glossary

Guerrilla detachment

Small irregular partisan units (like Dorokhov's) that harassed the French army with hit-and-run attacks during the retreat from Moscow.

Redoubt

A small, enclosed defensive fortification, such as the Shevardino Redoubt fought over before the main Battle of Borodino.

Hussar

A light cavalry soldier, typically dashing and associated with dash and bravado; Nikolai Rostov serves in a hussar regiment.

Freemasonry / Masonic Lodge

A secretive fraternal and philosophical society that Pierre joins seeking moral and spiritual purpose.

Serf / Serfdom

The system of bonded peasant labor tied to noble estates in Imperial Russia, forming the economic backdrop of the landowning characters' lives.

Calèche

A light, horse-drawn carriage used for travel, such as the one Kutuzov rides in.

Continental System

Napoleon's blockade policy aimed at cutting off British trade with Europe, cited as one political cause of the war.

Fete/soirée

A formal evening social gathering or party central to the aristocratic social scenes in Petersburg and Moscow.

Great man theory (as critiqued)

The historical idea that single powerful individuals (like Napoleon) drive events, which Tolstoy's philosophical essays argue against in favor of broader impersonal forces.

Bald Hills

The Bolkonsky family's rural estate, a recurring setting for the old prince, Andrei, and Marya.

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