MARIE-JOSèPHE OF SAXONY

'Princess Maria Josepha Carolina of Saxony, Dauphine of France', (4 November 1731-13 March 1767), was the daughter of Frederick Augustus II, Prince-elector of Saxony and king of Poland, and Maria Josepha of Austria, (1699-1757), the daughter of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor. 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.
On February 9, 1747, Marie-Josèphe married Louis, Dauphin of France, son and heir of Louis XV. For the French prince it was his second marriage. His wife, Maria Teresa of Spain, had died on July 22, 1746, after giving birth to a daughter, the couple's only child. The marriage came about on the suggestion of Maurice de Saxe, an uncle of the future bride. This convinced Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour that the marriage would be advantageous to French foreign affairs.
The new Dauphine was grateful to Madame de Pompadour for helping to arrange her marriage. She was always kind to her afterwards and had good a relationship with the royal mistress. Marie-Josèphe enjoyed a happy marriage with the Dauphin. Politically she was reserved to a great extent, she exerted herself only once, in 1762, indeed, in vain, for the preservation of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) in France. The Society was dissolved on the incentive of the Duc de Choiseul and Madame de Pompadour by the King. Like her husband, Marie-Josèphe was very devout, and together with the Queen they formed in this area a counterbalance to the liberal behavior immoral in her eyes of the court with the King at the head.
The couple's first child was a daughter named Marie Zéphyrine born in 1750 who died in 1755. Their first son was born on September 15th, 1751, and received the name Louis Joseph Xavier. He was given the title of Duc de Bourgogne. The father of Louis XV had previously carried this title. All together the royal couple had 11 children, of which three were future French kings. Nevertheless, their common predilection was towards the Duc de Bourgogne, whose talent stepped up early and big hopes not only with his parents, but with the whole French court. The children of the couple were neglected by this preference. The Duc de Bourgogne died on March 22, 1761, of tuberculosis. After the Duc de Aquitaine, born in 1753, had died after one year, Louis Auguste, Duc de Berry (future Louis XVI), born on August 23, 1754, took the place of second in line to the French throne after his father as result.
The death of her husband on the December 20, 1765, dealt Marie-Josèphe a devastating blow from which she never recovered, sinking into a deep depression for the rest of her life. To save her the grief to have to remain in the rooms of her conjugal apartments, Louis XV allowed her to move into the apartments of the late Madame Pompadour who died in 1764. There he visited her more often and discussed with her how the wedding of the new Dauphin. Maria Josepha was not taken with the idea of her oldest son marrying Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria, and she reached with the king in 1766 of the negotiations with Vienna. Indeed, her state of health got worse more and more. She suffered from the same illness like her late husband (lung tuberculosis). She died on March 13, 1767, and was buried in the royal crypt in Saint-Denis. The marriage of her son with Marie Antoinette was carried out three years later on May 16, 1770.

Contents

Marriages and children

See Also

Marriages and children

Marie-Josèphe married Louis, Dauphin of France, and they had eight children:

★ Marie-Zéphyrine (26 August 1750–1 September 1755).

★ Louis, Duc de Bourgogne (13 September 1751–22 March 1761).

★ Xavier, Duc de Guyenne (8 September 1753–22 February 1754).

★ Louis-Auguste, Duc de Berry, the future king Louis XVI (23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) (guillotined).

★ Louis-Stanislas, Comte de Provence, the future king Louis XVIII (17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824).

★ Charles-Philippe, Comte d'Artois, the future king Charles X (9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836).

★ Marie-Clotilde (23 September 1759 – 7 March 1802), married King Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia, Prince of Piedmont.

★ Élisabeth-Philippine (3 May 1764 – 10 May1794), known as ''Madame Élisabeth'' (guillotined).

See Also

★ Nicolay