Prince Nikolai, father of Prince Andrei and Princess Marya, lives on a rural estate called Bald Hills. He spends his time tutoring Princess Marya and improving his property. Though he loves his daughter and cares about her wellbeing, he sometimes speaks to her cruelly, and everyone shrinks from the Prince’s bad moods and harsh demands. He masks his genuine affection for his children with grumpiness. He mocks modern European military strategy, but in 1806, he’s briefly revived by new duties as an army commander. As he later declines into senility, he makes Marya’s life increasingly difficult and balks at Prince Andrei’s engagement with Natasha. In his final days, he tries to rally Bald Hills against the French, suffers a stroke, and reconciles with Marya in his dying moments.
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Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky Character Timeline in War and Peace
The timeline below shows where the character Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky appears in War and Peace. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Volume 1, Part 1: Chapter 22
At Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky ’s estate, Bald Hills, the young Prince Andrei and his wife, the little princess, are...
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...morning of Prince Andrei’s arrival, Marya timidly enters her father’s study for their daily meeting. Prince Nikolai greets his daughter sternly yet tenderly. He marks a geometry assignment in a notebook and...
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Cheerful Mlle Bourienne, Marya’s companion, enters the room, warning Marya that Prince Nikolai has had an argument and is therefore in a grumpy mood. Marya says she doesn’t...
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Volume 1, Part 1: Chapters 23–25
In the afternoon Prince Andrei and his wife arrive at Bald Hills. Since Prince Nikolai is still napping, they surprise Princess Marya while she’s practicing the clavichord. When Marya greets...
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In a special exception, Prince Nikolai allows Prince Andrei to visit his quarters before dinner. Cheerful after his nap, he greets...
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At dinner, Prince Nikolai joins Prince Andrei, the little princess, Princess Marya, Mlle Bourienne, and the Prince’s architect Mikhail...
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...being isolated in the country. Andrei doesn’t reply to this, but he suggests instead that Prince Nikolai is too hard on Marya. Shocked, she protests that she’s perfectly content with him.
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...outside in the autumn evening; the household gathers in the hall to bid him goodbye. Prince Nikolai continues scribbling a letter in his office when Prince Andrei comes to say farewell. Embarrassed,...
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In a shrill voice, Prince Nikolai tells Prince Andrei that though he’ll grieve if his son dies, he’ll be most ashamed...
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Volume 1, Part 3: Chapters 1–5
In November, Prince Vassily has to go on a business trip, including a visit to Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky , in hopes of marrying his son Anatole to the wealthy prince’s daughter Marya. But...
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In December, Prince Vassily takes his son Anatole on a visit to Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky . Prince Nikolai has always held a low opinion of Prince Vassily, and it doesn’t...
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...and hopes she’ll be part of the household after he marries Princess Marya. Meanwhile, as Prince Nikolai dresses for dinner, he continues to resent Prince Vassily’s arrival. It renews his inner debate...
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At first Prince Nikolai pretends to listen to Prince Vassily’s conversation, but then he abruptly gets up and confronts...
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That night, nobody but Anatole sleeps easily. Even Prince Nikolai paces and grunts resentfully. He sees that Anatole cares nothing for his daughter and only...
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That morning Prince Nikolai is unusually gentle with his daughter. He explains that Prince Vassily seeks Marya’s hand in...
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An hour later, when Princess Marya is summoned to her meeting with Prince Nikolai and Prince Vassily, she’s embracing Mlle Bourienne, who is weeping. She assures Mlle Bourienne that...
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Volume 2, Part 1: Chapters 7–9
When Prince Nikolai receives Kutuzov’s news, he doesn’t tell anyone at first. When Princess Marya reports for her...
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When Prince Andrei goes to his father’s study, Prince Nikolai already knows about his return and his daughter-in-law’s death. He clings to his son’s neck...
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Volume 2, Part 2: Chapters 5–9
...and conflicting rumors fly. Since 1805, the Bolkonskys’ lives have changed a lot. In 1806, Prince Nikolai is made one of Russia’s eight militia commanders in chief. Though the prince is old,...
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Prince Nikolai has given Andrei an estate called Bogucharovo, 30 miles away, and Andrei begins spending most...
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...Andrei retreats to the next room to read the letter that’s come from his father. Prince Nikolai joyfully reports a victory over Napoleon at Preussisch-Eylau. He orders Prince Andrei to hasten to...
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Volume 2, Part 2: Chapters 10–14
...from the carriage. He says they’re Princess Marya’s “people of God,” whom, in defiance of Prince Nikolai , Marya welcomes. After settling into their rooms, Prince Andrei and Pierre go to Marya’s...
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...she relents. Marya is grateful, and for the rest of the visit, both she and Prince Nikolai get along well with Pierre. However, Marya worries that inactive rural life is bad for...
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Volume 2, Part 3: Chapters 23–26
...next day, Prince Andrei travels to Bald Hills to ask his father’s permission to marry. Prince Nikolai receives the news calmly, but inside, he can’t understand it—why anyone would seek to dramatically...
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Back at Bald Hills, Prince Nikolai ’s health declines. The burden of this falls on Princess Marya. Princess Marya’s soft spots...
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...sooner because he didn’t want to add to family tensions. He encloses a letter asking Prince Nikolai to shorten the postponement of marriage by a few months, and he asks Marya to...
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Volume 2, Part 5: Chapters 1–4
That winter Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky comes to Moscow with Princess Marya. Emperor Alexander has fallen out of favor, and Prince...
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Prince Nikolai is always in a bad mood, and whenever Princess Marya tries to fulfill her promise...
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...Prince to an outburst of rage. He calls Métivier a French spy. After Métivier leaves, Prince Nikolai storms at Princess Marya. He says he can’t have a moment’s peace with her and...
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The nearly silent meal includes some political talk, with Prince Nikolai offering an occasional grunt in response. As the evening goes on, however, Prince Nikolai grows...
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Volume 2, Part 5: Chapters 5–10
The next day, Count Rostov and Natasha go to see Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky . The Count is nervous, but Natasha feels confident that the Bolkonskys will love her—everybody...
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After a few uncomfortable minutes, to Marya’s horror, Prince Nikolai walks in wearing a dressing gown and nightcap. He awkwardly repeats, “As God is my...
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Volume 2, Part 5: Chapters 11–13
...know why. Her thoughts of Andrei are mixed up with thoughts of Princess Marya, old Prince Nikolai , the opera, and her guilty, flustered feelings about Anatole Kuragin.
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After church on Sunday, Marya Dmitrievna announces resolutely that she’s going to visit Prince Nikolai and have a talk with him regarding Natasha. While she’s gone, Countess Bezukhov stops in...
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Volume 2, Part 5: Chapters 14–17
...Natasha and Count Rostov over. She tells them what happened at the Bolkonskys’ yesterday—she and Prince Nikolai got into a shouting match. She recommends that the Rostovs return to Otradnoe and wait...
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Volume 2, Part 5: Chapters 18–22
...a note from Prince Andrei, who’s just arrived in Moscow. As soon as Andrei arrived, Prince Nikolai gave him Natasha’s note to Princess Marya stating her refusal of Andrei. (Mlle Bourienne had...
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...he can’t forgive Natasha or be noble enough to marry her anyway. Over dinner with Prince Nikolai and Princess Marya, Pierre sees that the Bolkonskys hold the Rostovs in great contempt.
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Volume 3, Part 1: Chapters 8–11
...Prince Andrei doesn’t realize, though, that Bald Hills has actually divided into two camps, with Prince Nikolai and Mlle Bourienne on one side, and Princess Marya, Nikolushka, and Nikolushka’s tutor and caregivers...
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...find it. He’s likewise disturbed to find that he feels no remorse for arguing with Prince Nikolai for the first time in his life. He wants to flee the painful memories of...
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Volume 3, Part 2: Chapters 1–5
The day after Prince Andrei leaves, Prince Nikolai blames Princess Marya for his son’s departure. He stays in his study for a week...
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...to Princess Marya—patriotic letters in Russian, as she claims she can no longer abide French. Prince Nikolai refuses to acknowledge the war, so Marya assumes it isn’t very important. Meanwhile, Prince Andrei...
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Even after this letter is read to the household, Prince Nikolai refuses to believe that Bald Hills is in danger. In fact, he believes the French...
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...to write to the head of the province to find out what’s going on, since Prince Nikolai refuses to act. When Alpatych the steward sets off for Smolensk, sent by the Prince...
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Volume 3, Part 2: Chapters 6–12
...Prince Andrei thinks Princess Marya is safe, that’s not true. After Alpatych returns from Smolensk, Prince Nikolai springs into action. He calls up the village militia, deciding to stay and defend Bald...
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The morning after Nikolushka leaves for Bogucharovo, Prince Nikolai puts on his decorated uniform and goes out to review the village militia. But soon...
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...Princess Marya prepares the household to move again. The morning of departure, the doctor says Prince Nikolai is a little better and trying to communicate. Marya goes to her father, who looks...
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After this exchange, Prince Nikolai becomes more agitated, talking about his son, the Emperor, and the war. Then he has...
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...Dron, who’s trusted and respected by the Bolkonskys and peasants alike. On the day of Prince Nikolai ’s funeral, Alpatych orders Dron to prepare horses for the carriages and carts that will...
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Epilogue, Part 1: Chapters 8–16
...and three children, Natasha and her three children, Sonya, Marya’s nephew Nikolenka, and the late Prince Nikolai ’s old architect Mikhail Ivanovich. From his gestures, Princess Marya can tell that Nikolai is...
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