Maria Josepha of Saxony | |||||
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Dauphine of France | |||||
Born |
Dresden Castle, Dresden, Saxony |
4 November 1731||||
Died | 13 March 1767 Palace of Versailles, France |
(aged 35)||||
Burial | 22 March 1767 Cathedral of Saint-Étienne in Sens, France |
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Spouse | Louis, Dauphin of France (m. 1747; d. 1765) |
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Issue Detail |
Princess Marie Zéphyrine Louis XVI Louis XVIII Charles X Marie Clothilde, Queen of Sardinia Princess Élisabeth |
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House | Wettin | ||||
Father | Augustus III of Poland | ||||
Mother | Maria Josepha of Austria | ||||
Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||
Signature | |||||
Coat of arms of Maria Josepha of Saxony |
Full name | |
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Maria Josepha Carolina Eleonore Franziska Xaveria |
Maria Josepha of Saxony (Maria Josepha Karolina Eleonore Franziska Xaveria; 4 November 1731 – 13 March 1767) was a Duchess of Saxony and the Dauphine of France. She became Dauphine at the age of fifteen through her marriage to Louis de France, the son and heir of Louis XV. Marie Josèphe was the mother of three kings of France, including 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 born on 4 November 1731 in Dresden Castle to Augustus III, Prince-Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, and Maria Josepha of Austria. Maria Josepha was the eighth of fifteen children and the fourth daughter.
Dauphin Louis, eldest son of King Louis XV of France, was widowed on 22 July 1746 when his wife, Maria Teresa Rafaela, died giving birth to their only child, a daughter named after herself. King Ferdinand VI of Spain, Maria Teresa Rafaela's half-brother, had offered the Dauphin another Spanish princess, Maria Antonietta. Instead, the King of France and his all-powerful mistress Madame de Pompadour wanted to open up diplomatic channels.