King Oscar I (1799-1859) and Josephine of Leuchtenberg (1807-1876)


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Marengo

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Joseph François Oscar I, King of Sweden and Norway (Paris, 4 July 1799-Stockholm, 8 July 1859) and Queen Joséphine of Sweden and Norway, nee Duchess of Leuchtenberg (Milan, 14 March 1807-Stockholm, 7 June 1876).

Dynasty: Bernadotte

Reign: 1844 - 1859

Predecessor: King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden and Norway

Successor: King Carl XV of Sweden and Norway

Children: King Carl XV, Prince August, King Oscar II, Prince Gustaf and Princess Eugenie of Sweden and Norway

Parents Oscar: King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden and Norway (Jean Baptiste Bernadotte) and Désirée Clary

Parents Josephine: Eugene de Beauharnais, Viceroy of Italy, Prince Imperial of France and later Duke of Leuchtenberg & Frst von Eichstädt and Princess Augusta of Bavaria.

Siblings Josephine: Fuerstin Hortense of Hohenzollern-Hechtingen, Prince August of Portugal, Empress Amelie of Brazil, Duchess Theodelinde of Urach, Duchess Carolina and Duke Maximilian of Leuchtenberg,
 
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Oscar I, born Joseph François Oscar Bernadotte (July 4, 1799, Paris–July 8, 1859, Stockholm), was King of Sweden and Norway from 1844 to his death. He was the only son of Charles XIV John of Sweden and his wife, Queen Desideria. When, in August 1810, Bernadotte was elected Crown Prince of Sweden, Oscar and his mother moved from Paris to Stockholm (June 1811).

From Charles XIII of Sweden Oscar received the title of Duke of Södermanland. He quickly acquired the Swedish language. By the time he reached the age of majority he had become a general favourite. His very considerable native talents were developed by an excellent education, and he soon came to be regarded as an authority on all socio-political questions. In 1839 he wrote a series of articles on popular education, and (in 1841) an anonymous work, "Om Straff och straffanstalter", advocating prison reforms. Twice during his father's lifetime he was viceroy of Norway. On June 19, 1823 he married the princess Josephine, daughter of Eugène de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg, and granddaughter of the Empress Josephine.

Read the entire wikipedia article here.
 
Joséphine, Queen of Sweden and Norway (Joséphine Maximiliane Eugénie Napoléone de Beauharnais) (14 March 1807 - 7 June 1876) was the Queen consort of Oscar I of Sweden and Norway. She was known as Queen Josefina.

Born in Milan, Italy, she was a daughter of Eugène de Beauharnais, the first Duke of Leuchtenberg, and his wife, Princess Augusta of Bavaria. Her paternal grandmother and namesake was Joséphine Tascher de La Pagerie, the first wife of Emperor Napoléon I of France.
Princess Joséphine married Oscar I at the Leuchtenberg Palace in Munich on May 22, 1823. They also conducted a wedding ceremony on June 19 in Stockholm. Through her mother (her maternal line of Hesse and upward through Hanau and Ansbach, Baden-Durlach and Kleeburg), Josephine was a descendant of Gustav I of Sweden and Charles IX of Sweden, thus also making her children descendants of Gustav Vasa, etc. Christian II of Sweden was also one of her ancestors, through her grandfather the king of Bavaria who was descended from Renata of Lorraine.

Read the entire wikipedia article here.
 
A painting of Oscar I and Josefina:

Crownprince_Oscar_of_Sweden_painted.jpg


Kronprinsessan_Josefina_portrC3A4tt.jpg
 
This is very interesting. Queen Josephine looks very lovely.

It was good that Oskar was so young when he came to Sweden (12?) that he was able to learn to speak the language well and understand his future subjects.

One of the difficulties George I of GB had when he left Hannover and inherited the British Crown was that he was quite old and never really mastered the English language or understood his subjects. I believe that his son, George II, also only spoke broken English. It was not until George II's grandson, George III came to the throne (his father had died young) that there was a native English speaker as King.

But not only were the Bernadottes an intelligent family, they integrated quickly with their new country.
 
I guess Queen Silvia and Queen Sonja often thinks about the lovely Queen Josefina. Thanks to her, they´ve got some of the most beautiful tiaras there is.
Queen Silivia: The cameo parure, the Leuchtenberg`s sapphires, the amethyst parure,
the Braganca Tiara and the Cut Steel-Tiara. Queen Sonja: The emerald parure and the big diamond tiara. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark wears the Ruby Parure, omce owned by Queen Desirée and then inherited by Josefina, who gave it to Princess Louisa of Sweden, when she married the future King Fredrik VIII.

What a collection! And what luck that so much of her great jewellery still can be seen at royalm events.
 
 
Thanks for the pictures, Magnik. I´ve never seen portrait nr 4 before. Who painted it - is it made in Sweden? Would be great to know more about this painting.

I don´t recognize the tiara. It looks beautiful though. Maybe the question should move to a jewel-forum?
 
Perhaps the tiara is the Braganca tiara? Still in many of these older portraits the painter has a rather vivid imagination and paints the jewels somewhat larger than they actually where, but the Braganca tiara seems to be the same size and shape. I am not sure if the Swedish RF already inhereted it by 1830 though.
 
Indeed the Braganca tiara first came into Queen Josefina's possession when she inherited it from her sister, the former Empress of Brazil Amelie, in 1873.
I do not recognize this tiara at all which is strange. The painter definitely took a lot of liberties here, since the other jewelry is pictured totally oversized, but the floral wreath-like design of the tiara is still distinctive enough to make me believe that it's close to an original unknown to me. Maybe I'll post this on the Royal Jewels MB.
No drop pearl on this planet could possibly as large as the ones on the necklace, but I believe what is seen here are the nine pearls from the Leuchtenberg sapphire tiara, which was originally convertible, holding nine upstanding drop pearls interchangeable with the nine sapphires on top.
The drop pearls were later set as a necklace, and the number here is correct, so this is very possible. These pearls have unfortunately left the main family branch.
 
No, it can´t be the Braganca tiara. But Queen Desirée and Queen Josephine both had diamond tiaras that are lost today. Queen Desirée
owned a large one, with big brilliants in a pattern of classical palmettes. She was painted in it in 1829, when she was coronated. I don´t think the tiara in the 1830-portrait of Josephine is Desirées tiara, though. No classical palmettes there. Princess Eugenie inherited Queen Desirée´s big tiara - and sold it! She used the money for her large charity.

Queen Josephine owned a parure including a tiara, with diamonds and white sapphires. She gave it to Queen Sophia, who wore it at the time for her coronation in 1872. But in this tiara there are some big white sapphires, the biggest in the center. And there is a long gap between 1830 and 1872. Queen Sophia later gave this parure to Prince Oscar and Princess Ebba Bernadotte and it was inherited by Count Folke Bernadotte and his wife Estelle Manville. I don´t know who owns it today.

Princess Eugenie is said to have sold quite a lot of the jewellery she got or inherited as the only princess among four brothers. Maybe the 1830-tiara is lost that way. Then there is Prince August, Queen Josephine´s youngest son. He married Princess Theresa, and maybe they got something from his mother´s wonderful collection? I don´t know anything about their jewels, and neither of Prince Gustaf´s. He died very young and wasn´t engaged.

It´s an exciting question, and I hope someone knows more about the tiara and the portrait.
 
Anna-Amalia, regarding the tiara with the white sapphires, Göran Alm made a mistake in his book about the Bernadotte jewels.
The tiara and its matching whole parure (earrings, necklace, brooch and bracelet) are not set with white sapphires but with pink tourmalines and diamonds. As late as the 1980s, Count Folke Bernadotte's then-wife Christina was still wearing the whole set of jewels for one of the annual representation dinners at Stockholm Palace. So the parure could still be with this branch of the family.
By the way: I would date Queen Josefina's portrait later than 1830; of course painters rather used to embellish their sitter's looks, and as Josefina appears to be older here than she would have been in 1830, I'd say it's likely that this portrait was made when she was already Queen Consort - though by no means late enough to show the Braganca tiara.
An interesting question indeed, which I took the liberty to also post on the Royal Jewels Message Board by now.
 
Thank you for the information, Boris. It´s good to hear that Princess Ebba's parure still is in use in her family.
 
First time I thought that's Braganca tiara because it looks similar but ... you know how it is with some jewels.

Sorry but when Braganca tiara was made? Maybe Josephine borrowed it from her sister before she inherit it? Or maybe on the begining it looks like this and than when Josephine inherit it she convert it?
 
The Braganca tiara was already made in the end of the 18th century. It was altered by Empress Amelie and first arrived in Stockholm after Amelie's death in 1873 in its altered, current version - that's how Göran Alm tells it.
So even if Josefina would have borrowed it at one point, it would have been in today's version, and it's quite improbable that she would have worn a tiara on loan when sitting for an official portrait.
So in the end, no - I do not believe that the tiara in the painting is the Braganca.
 
Thanks Boris.

So we have the next mystery tiara...

Btw. Boris I 've just read the bios about Josefine on wikipedia. There's note that - She had brought with her several pieces of exclusive jewellery made in Paris for her paternal grandmother who was Empress Josephine. So maybe our mystery tiara is/was one of the imperial tiaras?

magnik/Agnes
 
Queen Josephine's full name was Josephine Maximiliane (Maximilienne) Eugenie Napoleone (Napoleonne). Josephine arrived with Queen Desiree in Sweden in 1823. Is it true that six days after her arrival her middle name of Napoleone was removed?

Prince Gustaf, the Duke of Uppland, was the second son of Oscar I. His full name was Frans Gustaf Oscar. Was he named after a particular Frans (Franz/Francis)?

Queen Josephine was interested in art.
She supported the career of the painter Sofia Adlersparre.
​
 
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CyrilVladisla said:
Prince Gustaf, the Duke of Uppland, was the second son of Oscar I. His full name was Frans Gustaf Oscar. Was he named after a particular Frans (Franz/Francis)?
Click to expand...
Frans is the Swedish variant of François, it was one of king Oscar I:s names and he was probably named after his maternal grandfatherFrançois Clary.
CyrilVladisla said:
Queen Josephine's full name was Josephine Maximiliane (Maximilienne) Eugenie Napoleone (Napoleonne). Josephine arrived with Queen Desiree in Sweden in 1823. Is it true that six days after her arrival her middle name of Napoleone was removed?
Click to expand...
I don't know anything about the name Napoleone being removed, but her names was Swedified to Josefina Maximiliana Eugenia Napoleona.
 
Meraude said:
Frans is the Swedish variant of François, it was one of king Oscar I:s names and he was probably named after his maternal grandfatherFrançois Clary.

I don't know anything about the name Napoleone being removed, but her names was Swedified to Josefina Maximiliana Eugenia Napoleona.
Click to expand...

Meraude, Thank you for mentioning that Prince Gustaf was named after Francois Clary.
Thank you for giving the Swedish equivalent of Queen Josephine's (Josefina's) name.
​

In Emperors, Kings & Queens, Sonya Newland wrote:

Oscar had objected to his father's despotic tendencies and the liberals had high hopes of reform when he took over. However, Oscar preferred to tread the middle ground and pursued moderate policies that upset the more radical of his former supporters.
​
 
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Photo from court Instagram today
"Portrait of King Oskar I and his family, circa 1856. Top row, from left: Prince August, Princess Eugénie and Crown Prince Karl (XV). Bottom row, from left: Queen Josefina, King Oskar I, Princess Louise and Crown Princess Lovisa. This is the oldest known photograph to include a Swedish queen, and was taken by Mathias Hansen. Photo from the Bernadotte Library's archive."
https://www.instagram.com/p/BO6wNHPBtoR/?taken-by=kungahuset
 
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