War and Peace · Character

Prince Nikoláy Bolkónski

A retired general of ferocious intellect and temper, who rules Bald Hills like a fortress and his children like subordinates.

supporting

Also known as Prince Nikoláy Andréevich Bolkónski, Old Bolkónski, Prince Bolkónski

First appearance: xix

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Prince Nikoláy Bolkónski is a man of the eighteenth century stranded in the nineteenth, brilliant, exacting, and incapable of softening. He drills his daughter Márya in mathematics, keeps his household on a schedule of his own devising, and treats his son Andréy's independence as a personal affront. His tyranny is real, but so is his integrity: he is honest, hardworking, and contemptuous of the courtiers he once served. His refusal to bless Andréy's marriage to Natásha, and his slow decline as the war approaches, make him one of the novel's most complex portraits of a difficult old man.

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Character Web

8 connections

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Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Peripheral Characters
Group 1

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

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In the story

Prince Nikoláy Bolkónski appears across 4 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

XXVI
Andrei's father. Irascible, intellectually sharp, and dismissive of modern military strategy and religion. He dominates the conversation with his son, interrupting with non sequiturs and singing a cynical song about war.
Anatole's Visit to Bald Hills
Openly hostile and mocking; insults Márya's appearance, interrogates Anatole, and agrees to the marriage only if Márya consents, all while displaying his tyrannical principles.
The Death of the Little Princess
Deeply affected by his daughter-in-law's death, he embraces his son and weeps, but later turns away angrily from her coffin.
The Death of the Little Princess
Grieves deeply for his daughter-in-law, embracing his son and weeping, and later serves as godfather at the baptism.

Chapter companion notes

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