Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony (1731–1767)

Maria Josepha of Saxony
Dauphine of France
Marie Josèphe by Nattier
Born	(1731-11-04)4 November 1731 Dresden Castle, Dresden, Saxony
Died	13 March 1767(1767-03-13) (aged 35) Palace of Versailles, France
Burial	22 March 1767 Cathedral of Saint-Étienne in Sens, France
Spouse	Louis, Dauphin of France (m. 1747; d. 1765)
Issue Detail	Princess Marie Zéphyrine Louis XVI Louis XVIII Charles X Marie Clothilde, Queen of Sardinia Princess Élisabeth
Full name Maria Josepha Carolina Eleonore Franziska Xaveria
House	Wettin
Father	Augustus III of Poland
Mother	Maria Josepha of Austria
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Signature

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.