Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg)
Sophie Dorothea arrived in St Petersburg that September, converted to the Russian Orthodox Church, and took the name Maria Feodorovna. She married Paul on 26 September 1776. In spite of her husband's difficult character, Maria Feodorovna made a success of her marriage. During the long reign of her mother-in-law, the Russian Empress, Catherine II, Maria and Paul were completely excluded from any political influence, as mother and son mistrusted each other. Maria Feodorovna sided with her husband and lost the initial affection Catherine II had for her. Paul and Maria were forced to live in isolation at Gatchina, but they were 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.
Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg)
Paul and Maria asked Catherine for permission to travel abroad to Western Europe. In September 1781, under the pseudonyms of "the Count and Countess Severny," the heir to the Russian throne and his wife set off on a journey that lasted fourteen months and took them to Poland, Austria, Italy, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Paris made a special impression on the couple. They visited King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. Louis got along well with Paul while Marie Antoinette, hearing that the Grand Duchess was an intellectual, felt intimidated and nervous when she met Maria Feodorovna who exhibited confidence and stiffness. The conversation would turn lively later and the Queen gave Maria a toilette set with the Wurttemberg arms printed on it. In Austria, Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II compared Maria Feodorovna with her husband, finding her superior.