Maria Josepha of Saxony (1731–1767)
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| Duchess Maria Josepha of Saxony | |
|---|---|
| Dauphine of Viennois | |
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| Spouse | Louis-Ferdinand, Dauphin of France |
| Issue | |
| Louis XVI of France Louis XVIII of France Charles X of France Clothilde, Queen of Sardinia Madame Élisabeth |
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| Full name | |
| Maria Josepha Carolina Eleanor Francesca Xaveria | |
| Father | Augustus III of Poland |
| Mother | Maria Josepha of Austria |
| Born | November 4, 1731 Dresden |
| Died | March 13, 1767 (aged 35) Palace of Versailles |
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Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony (4 November 1731 – 13 March 1767) was Dauphine of France. At fifteen, she was married to Louis-Ferdinand, Dauphin of France, son and heir of Louis XV. She was the mother of three kings of France, including the doomed Louis XVI, who died under the guillotine during the French Revolution. Her youngest daughter, Madame Élisabeth, also was beheaded during the Revolution.
Maria Josepha was the daughter of Frederick Augustus II, Prince-Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, and of Maria Josepha of Austria, the daughter of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor.
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[edit] Marriage
On 9 February 1747, Maria Josepha married Louis, Dauphin of France, whose first wife, Infanta Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain, had died on 22 July 1746 after giving birth to a daughter, the couple's only child. The marriage was suggested by Maria Josepha's uncle, Count Maurice de Saxe. Louis XV and his mistress, Madame de Pompadour, were convinced that the marriage would be advantageous to French foreign affairs.
The new Dauphine was very grateful to Madame de Pompadour for helping to arrange her marriage, and always remained on a good relationship with the royal mistress. Although it was an arranged marriage, Marie-Josèphe fell in love with the Dauphin. Politically reserved, she exerted herself only once, in 1762, in vain, for the preservation of the Jesuits in France. The Society had been dissolved by the King on the initiative of the duc de Choiseul and Madame de Pompadour.
Like her husband, Marie-Josèphe was very devout. Together with Queen Maria Leszczyńska, she formed a counterbalance to the libertine behaviour of her father-in-law and his court.[citation needed]
[edit] Children
The couple's first child was a daughter named Marie Zéphyrine who was born in 1750 and died in 1755. Their second child, Louis Joseph Xavier, a son born on 15 September 1751, was given the title of duc de Bourgogne, title given to the eldest son of the Dauphin of France. Bourgogne was the apple of his parents' eye. His talents appeared early and inspired hope for the future in the hearts of the entire court.[citation needed] Unfortunately, the royal couple concentrated so much time and energy on this eldest son that their other children suffered from neglect.[citation needed] Bourgogne died on 22 March 1761, of tuberculosis. Since the couple's second son, the duc d'Aquitaine, who had been born in 1753, had died one year later, their third son, Louis Auguste, duc de Berry (future Louis XVI), born on 23 August 1754, became second in line to the French throne after his father.
Marie-Josèphe and the Dauphin Louis-Ferdinand de France, had eight children:
- Stillborn son in 1748;
- Stillborn son in 1749;
- Marie Zéphyrine de France (26 August 1750 – 1 September 1755).
- Louis Joseph Xavier de France, duc de Bourgogne, (13 September 1751 - 22 March 1761);
- Stillborn daughter in 1752;
- Louis-Xavier de France, duc d'Aquitaine (8 September 1753–22 February 1754).
- Louis-Auguste de France, duc de Berry, future Louis XVI (23 August 1754]] – 21 January 1793), executed by guillotine during the French Revolution;
- Louis-Stanislas de France, comte de Provence, future Louis XVIII (17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824);
- Stillborn son in 1756;
- Charles-Philippe de France, comte d'Artois, future Charles X (9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836).
- Clothilde de France, Madame (23 September 1759]] – 7 March 1802), married King Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia, Prince of Piedmont.
- Miscarriage of a son in 1762.
- Élisabeth de France, Madame Élisabeth (3 May 1764 – 10 May 1794), executed by guillotine during the French Revolution.
[edit] Gallery
 Marie-Josèphe |
 Louis de France, husband of Marie-Josèphe |
 Maria Antonia of Austria, the famed daughter-in-law she never met |
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[edit] Widow
The death of her husband, on 20 December 1765, dealt Marie-Josèphe a devastating blow from which she never recovered, sinking into a deep depression for the rest of her life.[citation needed] To save her the torment of remaining with bittersweet memories of her dead husband, Louis XV allowed her to move her apartments at Versailles from those she had shared with her deceased spouse into the apartments of the late Madame de Pompadour, who had died in 1764. There, he visited her more than he had in the past and discussed with her the possible wedding of her son, the new dauphin. Marie-Josèphe was not taken with the idea of her eldest son marrying Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria[citation needed].
Soon, her health declined. She died on 13 March 1767 of tuberculosis, and was buried in the royal crypt in Saint-Denis. The marriage of her son Louis Auguste with Maria Antonia was celebrated three years later.
[edit] Ancestry
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[edit] See also
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Maria Josepha of Saxony (1731–1767)
Born: 4 November 1731 Died: 13 March 1767 |
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| French royalty | ||
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| Preceded by Infanta Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain |
Dauphine of France 9 February 1747–20 December 1765 |
Succeeded by Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria |
