Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna (1788–1819) was the fourth daughter of Emperor Paul I (1796–1801) and Marie Feodorovna. She was Alexander I’s favourite sister and the Queen of Württemberg. During the Russian troops’ foreign campaign of 1813–1814, she visited Germany. After signing a truce with the French after the Battle of Bautzen, Alexander went to Northern Bohemia to see his sister. During a walk, Alexander and Catherine visited the hut of a German peasant. In the vein of sentimentalism, this story was supposed to demonstrate the royals’ good character, and their interest in the lives of ordinary people.
