Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse
In 1776, he became engaged to Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg, eldest daughter of Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg. The engagement was broken off so that Sophia Dorothea could marry Louis's recently widowed brother-in-law Tsarevich Paul Petrovich, son and heir of Catherine II "the Great", Empress of Russia. He received a monetary compensation when the engagement was broken.
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.