Ilya was born at Yasnaya Polyana and spent most of his young life there, until the family took a house in Moscow in 1881.

Everything forbidden delights him; he recognizes it at once.In 1881 Ilya entered a private gymnasium to continue his education.

His father had originally planned for him to attend a state school, but had refused to sign a declaration of Ilya's loyalty to the Tsar, which was required for entry.

[1] Ilya left school before graduating, and entered military service in the Sumy Dragoons.

[3] His lecture tour ended in 1917 and he returned to Russia, but left the country when the Bolsheviks came to power later that year.

He moved to Paris and then back to the United States, where in September 1920 he married Nadine Perchina, who later became one of the closest disciples of the spiritual teacher Meher Baba.

Then, in 1925, along with fellow Russian writer, George Grebenstchikoff, Tolstoy moved to the small Connecticut town of Southbury.