Princess Maria Czartoryska

Princess Maria Czartoryska (formerly Duchess Louis of Württemberg; 15 March 1768, Warsaw – 21 October 1854, Paris), was a Polish noble, member of the House of Württemberg, writer, musician and philanthropist. Early life Born into the powerful Polish House of Czartoryski, Maria Anna was a daughter of Prince Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski and Countess Isabella von Flemming. She spent her childhood in the Blue Palace in Warsaw and Powązki. In 1782 she moved with her parents to Puławy. Marriage From 1784 to 1793 Maria was married to Duke Louis of Württemberg, brother of Empress Maria Feodorovna, who became the Hetman of the Lithuanian Army in the 1792 war against Russia. Maria divorced him when his betrayal of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth became known. Maria's only son, Duke Adam of Württemberg, remained with his father and was raised in an atmosphere prejudiced against his mother and Poland. Life after divorce Following her divorce, Maria lived mostly in Warsaw, and from 1798 to 1804 spent winters in Vienna and summers at Puławy. Between 1808 and 1816 she hosted her literary salon in Warsaw (Blue Saturdays). Her guests included Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz. She attended meetings of the Xs Society (Towarzystwo Iksów). In 1816 she published Malvina, or the Heart's Intuition, considered Poland's first psychological novel.