Princess Josephine of Baden


Princess Josephine Friederike Luise of Baden 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 and the Serbian and Yugoslav Royal House.

Life

[file:Fürstin Josephine von Hohenzollern, geborene von Baden.jpg|thumb|left|Undated portrait]
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 and Princess Marie Antoinette Murat.
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.

Legacy

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."''

Honours