Josephine of Leuchtenberg | |||||
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Queen Josephine by Axel Nordgren
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Queen consort of Sweden and Norway | |||||
Tenure | 8 March 1844 – 8 July 1859 | ||||
Born |
Milan, Italy |
14 March 1807||||
Died | 7 June 1876 , Sweden |
(aged 69)||||
Burial | Riddarholmen Church | ||||
Spouse | Oscar I of Sweden | ||||
Issue |
Charles XV of Sweden Prince Gustaf, Duke of Uppland Oscar II of Sweden Princess Eugenie Prince August, Duke of Dalarna |
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House | Beauharnais | ||||
Father | Eugène de Beauharnais | ||||
Mother | Princess Augusta of Bavaria | ||||
Religion | Roman Catholic |
Full name | |
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Joséphine Maximiliane Eugénie Napoléonne |
Joséphine of Leuchtenberg or Joséphine de Beauharnais (Joséphine Maximilienne Eugénie Napoléone) (14 March 1807 - 7 June 1876) was Queen consort of Sweden and Norway as the wife of King Oscar I, as well as Princess of Bologna from birth and Duchess of Galliera from 1813. She was known as Queen Josefina, and was regarded to be politically active during the reign of her spouse. She acted as his political adviser and actively participated in state affairs. She was particularly active within the laws of religion in Sweden and Norway, and is attributed to have introduced more liberal laws regarding religion.
Joséphine was born on 14 March 1807 in Milan, Italy. She was the first of six children of Eugène de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg (1781 - 1824), and his wife, Princess Augusta of Bavaria (1788 - 1851). Her paternal grandmother and namesake was Joséphine Tascher de La Pagerie, the first wife of Napoleon: she was given the name 'Joséphine' by Napoleon's request. Her maternal grandfather was Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria.
At birth, she was given the title 'Princess of Bologna' by Napoleon, and later she was also made Duchess of Galliera. She spent her first seven years in Italy. The family spent their days in Villa Bonaparte in Milan and at their summer residence in Monza outside Milan. In 1812, they received a visit from the former Empress Joséphine. In 1813, her father Eugène turned down the offer from his father-in-law to join the forces against Napoleon. In 1814, Augusta joined her father at his military headquarters at Mantua, where she gave birth to Théodolinde de Beauharnais, Joséphine's youngest sister. A little later, Joséphine and her siblings joined their mother in the fortress at Mantua in a procession of carriages with their courtiers. After the defeat of Napoleon that same year, her parents left for her maternal grandfather in Bavaria, and a little later, Joséphine and her siblings followed them in the company of Baron Darnay, earlier her father's secretary. Reportedly, this was a memory that stayed with Joséphine. Her father was given the title Duke of Leuchtenberg and the former principality of Eichstädt in Bavaria as a fief. Her childhood is described as happy. The family spent their summers at Eichstädt and their winters in Munich with Augusta's family.