Maria Feodorovna (nee Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg)

Maria Feodorovna (née Duchess Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg; October 25, 1759 – November 5, 1828) is Empress consort of Russia as the second wife of Tsar Paul I.

Born Duchess Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg, she is a daughter of Friedrich II Eugen, Duke of Württemberg and his wife, Friederike Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt.

She belongs to a junior branch of the House of Württemberg and grows up in Montbéliard receiving an excellent education for her time and station

In 1776, when Tsar Paul I, heir to the Russian throne, becomes a widower, Sophie Dorothea is chosen by Frederick II of Prussia, her maternal great uncle, and by Empress Catherine II of Russia, as the ideal candidate to be Paul’s second wife.

They meet in a state dinner in Berlin and their engagement is quickly arranged.

Sophie Dorothea arrives in St Petersburg in September, converts to the Russian Orthodox Church, and takes the name Maria Feodorovna.

She marries Paul on September 26, 1776.

In spite of her husband's difficult character, Maria Feodorovna makes a success of her marriage

During the long reign of her mother-in-law, the Russian Empress, Catherine II, Maria and Paul are completely excluded from any political influence, as mother and son mistrust each other.

Maria Feodorovna sides with her husband and loses the initial affection Catherine II had for her.

Paul and Maria are forced to live in isolation at Gatchina, but they are devoted to each other and had ten children including: Tsar Alexander I, Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, Grand Duchess Maria of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Queen Catherine of Wurttemberg and Queen Anna Pavlovna of the Netherlands.

In 1796, her husband ascends to the Russian throne and during his four-year reign, Maria Feodorovna has a great and beneficial influence over her husband.

On the night of Paul I's assassination, Maria Feodorovna thinks to imitate the example of Catherine II and tries to proclaim herself Empress, but does not press her claims.

During the reigns of her sons Alexander I and Nicholas I, Maria Feodorovna retires to live at Gatchina and Pavlovsk, but keeps the highest female position at court.

This custom of precedence of the Dowager Empress over the wife of the reigning monarch is introduced with her and it is unique to the Russian court.

She outshines the wives of Alexander I and Nicholas I as she has considerable influence over her sons.

Maria Feodorovna also manages all the charitable establishments and enjoys a considerable income.

She is held in great respect by all her children who turn to her for counsel and advise.

Her death in 1828 is deeply mourned by the imperial family and her successors as Empress consorts will look to her as a role model.

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