During Napoleon Bonaparte's stay in Poland, he had a passionate love affair with an 18 year old Polish girl named Maria Louise Walewska. Since the 1770's Poland had been divided between Austria, Prussia and Russia. Many Poles looked to Napoleon to free their country and restore its independence. Maria was one of them.

The wife of and aging Polish count, she had disguised herself as a peasant girl and stopped Napoleon's carriage to beg for peace and liberty for Poland. She then disappeared into the crowd, but not before Napoleon had fallen hopelessly in love. Demanding that his officers locate her, Napoleon went to Warsaw, the Polish capital. When Maria was finally found, Napoleon sent her a special invitation to attend a ball and enclosed a bouquet of flowers made of diamonds. Maria flatly refused. She was a very virtuous girl.

It seemed that all of Poland tried to change her mind. Everyone believed that she alone could persuade Napoleon to restore Poland to its original boundaries and former glory. Even her friends felt that it was here patriotic duty to sacrifice her own feelings and become Napoleon's mistress. Finally, unable to resist such pressure, she gave in.

But then Maria actually fell in love with him. She left her husband and made the winter of 1806-07 a very romantic one for Napoleon. He left his wife Josephine Bonaparte. Maria Louise Walewska became Maria Louise Bonaparte, Empress of the French
Empress of the French
- Essay on Leadership Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.