Polish Royalty. She received notoriety for the thirteen-year relationship she had with Russian Czar Alexander I . Born Princess Maria Czetwertynska-Swaiatopelk, she was the daughter of the Polish Prince Antoni Stanislaw Czetwentynski-Swatopelk and his wife, Tekla von Kampenhausen. Her mother died when she was five years old and her father was beheaded during the Polish uprising in 1794. Her stepmother begged Catherine the Great of Russia to save her and her five children, and at this point, they left Poland for the Russian court. The 15 year old Maria was made a lady-in-waiting. In 1795 in an arranged marriage, she, at the age of 16, wed Prince Dmitry Lvovich Naryshkin, a rich 37-year-old clerk at the royal court. In 1799, with her husband's permission, she entered into a intimate relationship with Grand Duke Alexander, who became the Russian Czar in 1801. Besides being beautiful with a perfect figure, she was charming with a fascinating personality that attracted people to her. Since she was the “ruler's beloved,” she was called the “Aspasia of the North.” Some sources state that in 1803 she attempted to have Alexander divorce his wife and marry her but this fail. She never received money from him. She borne six children and at least three of the children were fathered by Alexander, but none of his three lived beyond adolescent. Although she was accepted by Alexander's family, she was not well-received when Alexander brought her to the Vienna Congress in 1815. This brought him bad publicity. In 1818, Alexander left her and return to his wife. This move may have been related to his religious conversion, political reasons or that he learned she had been unfaithful to him with one of his officers. After their relationship resolved, she asked to leave Russia, which she did, but she remained in good terms with Alexander until his death. Her husband died in 1838 and some sources state she remarried. In the early 1800s at least three formal oil paintings were done with her being the subject and documenting her beauty.