Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg)
Born Duchess Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg, she was a daughter of Friedrich II Eugen, Duke of Württemberg and his wife, Friederike Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt. She belonged to a junior branch of the House of Württemberg and grew up in Montbéliard receiving an excellent education for her time and station. In 1776, when Grand Duke Paul (the future Paul I of Russia), became a widower, Sophie Dorothea was 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 met in a state dinner in Berlin and their engagement was quickly arranged.
Princess Sophie of Saxony
Sophie married Duke Karl-Theodor in Bavaria, fifth child and third-eldest son of Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria and his wife Princess Ludovika of Bavaria, on 11 February 1865 in Dresden. Sophie and Karl-Theodor had one child:Childbirth caused severe respiratory problems for Sophie, which progressively weakened her, although she managed to recover. However, a year later she contracted a severe case of influenza that she could not overcome. Sophie died shortly before her 22nd birthday on 9 March 1867 and was interred at Tegernsee Abbey.