Maria Antonovna Naryshkina ( Russian: Мария Антоновна Нарышкина, 1779–1854), born Princess Maria Czetwertyńska-Światopełk, was a Polish noblewoman who was the

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...

of Tsar Alexander I of Russia for 19 years.

Early life

Born into the House of Światopełk-Czetwertyński, she was the daughter of the Polish prince

Antoni Stanisław Czetwertyński-Światopełk Prince Antoni Stanisław Czetwertyński-Światopełk (1748–1794) was a nobleman (''szlachcic'') and politician in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Life and career He was one of the Polish magnates who took the side of the Russian Empire, a ...

and his wife, Tekla von Kampenhausen (1750-1791).

Biography

In 1795, she married Dmitry Lvovich

Naryshkin Naryshkin (Russian: ) is a Russian masculine surname, and its feminine counterpart is Naryshkina. The name may refer to: * Members of the noble Naryshkin family, including: ** Kirill Naryshkin (1623–1691), Russian boyar and maternal grandfather o ...

(1758-1838), a hofmeister. In 1799, with her spouse's approval, she entered into a relationship with Alexander, who became tsar in 1801. She was well liked by Alexander's family, except by his consort, the empress

Elizabeth Alexeievna Princess Louise of Baden (13/24 January 1779 – 4/16 May 1826) was, later known as Elizabeth Alexeievna ( rus, Елизавета Алексеевна), the Empress of Russia during her marriage with Emperor Alexander I. Princess of Baden Eliz ...

. She is described as fascinating and charming, with the ability to attract people, and called "The Aspasia of the North". Phillip Vigel wrote that she had beauty "so perfect that it seemed impossible". In 1803, she made an attempt to have Alexander divorce his spouse and marry her, but she failed. She accompanied the tsar to the

Vienna Congress The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...

in 1815, which gave him bad publicity. She had at least four illegitimate daughters by Alexander. Three of them (two named Yelizaveta and one named Zinaida) died in infancy, and the other, Sofia, lived to aged 16. She also had a son, Emanuel, who wasn't admitted by her husband and was possibly also the tsar's child. Her children were: *Marina Naryshkina (1798 – 11 August 1871) *Yelizaveta Naryshkina (born and died 1803) *Yelizaveta Naryshkina (born and died 1804) *Zinaida Naryshkina (1806 – 18 May 1810) *Sofia Naryshkina (1808 – 18 June 1824) *Emanuel Naryshkin (30 July 1813 – 31 December 1901) Alexander was persuaded to leave her in 1818 and went back to his wife, Elizabeth. He continued to talk of her as his family.

References

*'' Mistresses of Russian Royalty, Including: Anna Pavlova, Natalia Brasova, Maria Naryshkina, Catherine Dolgorukov, Pauline de Rothschild, Princess Olga '' *Troyat, Henri '' Alexander of Russia: Napoleon's Conqueror '' Dutton Adult; First edition. edition (January 31, 1983) {{DEFAULTSORT:Naryshkina, Princess Maria Mistresses of Alexander I of Russia Russian nobility 1779 births 1854 deaths 18th-century people from the Russian Empire 19th-century people from the Russian Empire Maria