by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2016
Maria Giuseppina of Savoy, Countess of Provence; Credit – Wikipedia
Maria Giuseppina Luigia of Savoy was the wife of King Louis XVIII of France, although he did not become King until after her death. She was born on September 2, 1753, at the Royal Palace of Turin, in Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy, daughter of King Vittorio Amadeo III of Sardinia and Infanta Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain. She had eleven siblings:
- Carlo Emanuele IV, King of Sardinia (1751 – 1819), married Princess Marie Clotilde of France, no children
- Maria Elisabetta Carlotta of Savoy (1752 – 1755), died in childhood
- Amedeo Alessandro of Savoy (1754 – 1755), died in infancy
- Maria Teresa of Savoy (1756 – 1805), married Charles, Count of Artois, the future King Charles X of France, had four children, died before her husband became King of France
- Maria Anna of Savoy (1757 – 1824), married her uncle Prince Benedetto of Savoy, no issue
- Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia (1759 – 1824), married Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria-Este, had six daughters and one son who died at age three from smallpox
- Maria Cristina Ferdinanda of Savoy (1760 – 1768), died in childhood
- Maurizio of Savoy, Duke of Montferrat (1762 – 1799) died unmarried from malaria
- Maria Carolina of Savoy (1764 – 1782), married Anton, Electoral Prince of Saxony, no issue, Maria Carolina died from smallpox, her husband became King of Saxony after her death
- Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia (1765 – 1831), married Princess Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily, no children
- Giuseppe of Savoy, Count of Asti (1766 – 1802), died unmarried from malaria
On May 14, 1771, at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France, Maria Giuseppina married Louis Stanislas of France, Count of Provence. He was the son of Louis, Dauphin of France and Maria Josepha of Saxony. She took on the French version of her name Maria Joséphine and was styled Countess of Provence. The couple had no children, although she did have several miscarriages.
From all accounts, there was little love in the marriage. It was the first of three marriages arranged between the royal families of Sardinia and France. Considered ugly and ill-mannered, Marie Joséphine never quite fit in at the Court of Versailles. She and her husband had a strained relationship with his brother and sister-in-law, the future King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, and saw themselves as better suited to be next-in-line for the French throne.
After being forced to return to Paris in October 1789, Marie Joséphine and her husband took up residence at the Luxembourg Palace, still distancing themselves from the rest of the royal family who were living at the Tuileries Palace. They successfully escaped to the Austrian Netherlands in June 1791. By then, she and her husband fought constantly, and she found comfort in the company of her lady-in-waiting, Marguerite de Gourbillon. Many have speculated that the two were lovers, although there is no conclusive evidence of this.
In June 1795, Marie Joséphine’s husband became the titular King of France following the death of the only surviving son of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. However, as the French monarchy had been abolished years earlier, the two remained in exile as Count and Countess of Provence. They continued living in different parts of Europe before moving to England in 1808, taking up residence at Hartwell House in Buckinghamshire, England.
Hartwell House in Buckinghamshire, England. source: Wikipedia
On November 13, 1810, Marie Joséphine died at Hartwell House. Following a grand funeral, attended by the British Royal Family, she was interred in the Henry VII Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey in London, England. The following year, her husband had her remains moved to the Cagliari Cathedral in Sardinia, now in Italy. Here, her brother, King Carlo Felice of Sardinia, had a large monument built in her honor.
Tomb of Marie Joséphine. photo by Giova81 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3880082
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