IOTL, it seems that there were negotiations between Napoleon Bonaparte and Alexander I of Russia for a marriage alliance that would involve Napoleon getting a Russian princess.
The first proposal, involving Ekaterina Pavlovna, was made at the Congress of Erfurt in 1808. It was rejected, and Ekaterina was instead married off to the Prince of Oldenburg, who died three years later. After this, there was a second proposal, for Nap to marry the younger Anna Pavlovna, but this was also rejected under the pretext that Anna was too young (still a teenager). In the end, Napoleon abandoned this and chose to marry Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma. I suspect that Napoleon's failure in his endeavour to get a Russian wife filled him with a bit of contempt, demonstrated by his refusal to cooperate fully with Alexander (annexing the Duchy of Oldenburg directly into France, rejecting a joint campaign into the Ottoman Balkans, and perhaps even the invasion of Russia itself).
So, what if Napoleon had managed to gain the favour of the Romanovs and marry either Ekaterina or Anna?
How different could these women become in regards to influencing Napoleon's actions? Marie Louise was allegedly quiet and conforming, could Anna/Ekaterina end up being more active and persuasive to Nap than her?
The first proposal, involving Ekaterina Pavlovna, was made at the Congress of Erfurt in 1808. It was rejected, and Ekaterina was instead married off to the Prince of Oldenburg, who died three years later. After this, there was a second proposal, for Nap to marry the younger Anna Pavlovna, but this was also rejected under the pretext that Anna was too young (still a teenager). In the end, Napoleon abandoned this and chose to marry Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma. I suspect that Napoleon's failure in his endeavour to get a Russian wife filled him with a bit of contempt, demonstrated by his refusal to cooperate fully with Alexander (annexing the Duchy of Oldenburg directly into France, rejecting a joint campaign into the Ottoman Balkans, and perhaps even the invasion of Russia itself).
So, what if Napoleon had managed to gain the favour of the Romanovs and marry either Ekaterina or Anna?
How different could these women become in regards to influencing Napoleon's actions? Marie Louise was allegedly quiet and conforming, could Anna/Ekaterina end up being more active and persuasive to Nap than her?