Princess Josephine of Baden

Princess Josephine Friederike Luise of Baden (21 October 1813 – 19 June 1900) was Princess of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen from 27 August 1848 to 7 December 1849 during the brief reign of her husband, Prince Karl Anton. Josephine was the second daughter of Charles, Grand Duke of Baden, and Stéphanie de Beauharnais. She was the mother of the first king of Romania, Carol I. Through her younger daughter Marie, she is the ancestress of the Belgian royal family, the grand ducal family of Luxembourg as well as the last Queen of Italy and her descendants. Through her son, Leopold, she is also ancestress of the Romanian royal family.

Josephine of Baden
Princess of Hohenzollern
Princess Josephine in 1858
Princess consort of Hohenzollern
Tenure3 September 1869 – 2 June 1885
Princess consort of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
Tenure27 August 1848 – 7 December 1849
Born(1813-10-21)21 October 1813
Mannheim, Grand Duchy of Baden
Died19 June 1900(1900-06-19) (aged 86)
Sigmaringen, German Empire
Spouse
(m. 1834; died 1885)
Issue
Names
Josephine Friederike Luise
HouseZähringen
FatherCharles, Grand Duke of Baden
MotherStéphanie de Beauharnais

Life

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On 21 October 1834 at Karlsruhe, she married Karl Anton Joachim Zephyrinus Friedrich Meinrad, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, son of Charles, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1785–1853) and his wife Princess Marie Antoinette Murat (1793–1847).

They had six children:

She died at Sigmaringen on 19 June 1900. The Austrian court ordered a 12-day mourning for her death, during which members of the Habsburg dynasty were barred from participating in any festivities. This ensured that most members of the Habsburg imperial family were prevented from attending the wedding of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria to Countess Sophie Chotek on 1 July.[1]

Legacy

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Marie of Romania, wife of her grandson Ferdinand I, described Princess Josephine in her memoirs: "Quite the most fascinating member of the family, besides Fürst Leopold, was his charming old mother, born a Princess of Baden. Small and frail, she had exquisite features framed in veils and laces which heightened their delicacy. Her gowns and cloaks were just as they should be... she always wore gloves much too long on the fingers, which she had not the strength to pull on properly. Being stone-deaf she had expressive little gestures indicating when she had understood your pantomimic conversation; she liked a good joke and had a sweet way of lifting her hand and covering her mouth when amused or pleasantly shocked. Dear old Grandmamma Josephine had the most lovely nose I have ever seen; it was one of God's perfections."[2]

Honours

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Ancestry

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References

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  1. ^ King, Greg; Woolmans, Sue (2013). The Assassination of the Archduke. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 59. ISBN 9781250000163.
  2. ^ Marie, Queen (1934). The story of my life [by] Marie, queen of Romania. State Library of Pennsylvania. C. Scribner's sons.
  • Roberts, Gary Boyd, Notable Kin Volume Two, published in cooperation with the New England Historic and Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts, by Carl Boyer, 3rd, Santa Clarita, California, 1999, volume 2, p. 220.
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Princess Josephine of Baden
Born: 21 October 1813 Died: 19 June 1900
Regnal titles
Preceded by Princess of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
Countess of Hohenzollern-Haigerloch

27 August 1848 – 7 December 1849
Principality annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia
Titles in pretence
Preceded by
Herself
— TITULAR —
Princess of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
Countess of Hohenzollern-Haigerloch

7 December 1849 – 2 June 1885
Reason for succession failure:
Principality annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1850
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Baroness Amalie Schenk von Geyern
— TITULAR —
Princess of Hohenzollern-Hechingen
3 September 1869 – 2 June 1885
Reason for succession failure:
Principality annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1850