MARIA FEODOROVNA

(Empress, 1759-1828, 2nd wife of Paul I and mother of Tsars Alexander I and Nicholas I) Autograph letter signed, in French with translation, in her tiny hand,

      to !Your Majesty my Sister and Cousin!, saying !the remembrance of Your Majesty ... is still more precious! at a time when !all Your thoughts cannot but be focused on what is happening all around You ... May the happiest events mark this year for You, Madame; at last divine goodness is making us hope for an end to the unhappiness which overwhelms such a great part of the world ... Please remember me, Madame, to your amiable family ... and believe me for life ... Your Majesty!s most devoted Sister and Cousin!, 1 side 8vo and conjugate blank, St. Petersburg, 2nd February 1807 The Empress, born Princess Sophie Dorothea, was the eldest daughter of Friedrich Eugen, (1732-1797), Duke of Wurttemberg. After Trafalgar Napoleon had overrun most of Europe, and indeed her son Alexander I was soon to agree terms with him at Tilsit.