Feodor Tolstoy

Feodor Ivanovich Tolstoy was a Russian nobleman from the well-known Tolstoy family. He was also known as "the American" for his supposed voyage to North America, where he allegedly fought in the War of 1812. He was famous for his gambling, his passion for duels, and his eccentric personality. He was acquainted with many famous authors of his period and served as a prototype for some of the characters in their works. He was born to a noble family, but his father was relatively poor and had to send his sons to military schools. Feodor Tolstoy studied at the Naval Cadet Corps in Saint Petersburg, where he showed his exceptional physical and mental abilities, as well as his unpredictable and cruel temper. He became a master of shooting and fencing, and fought his first duel at the age of 17. He left the navy and joined the elite Preobrazhensky regiment, where he continued to violate discipline and challenge his comrades and superiors to duels. He also developed a taste for women and card games, and often got into debt. In 1803, he killed a French officer in a duel and had to flee abroad. He traveled to various European countries, where he gambled, fought, and participated in secret societies. He claimed that he visited America and fought in the War of 1812, but there is no evidence to support his story. He returned to Russia in 1814 and joined the army again. He fought in the Napoleonic Wars and was wounded several times. He also took part in the Decembrist uprising of 1825, but was pardoned by the tsar. He retired from the army in 1827 and settled in Moscow, where he became a prominent figure in the literary and artistic circles. He was friends with Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov, Nikolai Gogol, and others. He also wrote some poems, stories, and memoirs, but they were not very successful. He was known for his eccentric behavior, such as wearing a turban, keeping a pet monkey, and collecting exotic weapons. He was married twice, but both marriages ended in divorce. He had no children. He died of a stroke in 1846 and was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.