Queen consort of Sweden and Norway as the wife of King Oscar I, as well as Princess of Bologna from birth and Duchess of Galliera from 1813. She was known as Queen Josefina, and was regarded to be politically active during the reign of her spouse. She acted as his political adviser and actively participated in state affairs.
Joséphine was the first of six children of Eugène de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg (1781-1824), and his wife, Princess Augusta of Bavaria (1788-1851). Her paternal grandmother and namesake was Joséphine Tascher de La Pagerie, the first wife of Napoleon: she was given the name ‘Joséphine’ by Napoleon’s request. Her maternal grandfather was Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria.
Princess Joséphine married Crown Prince Oscar by proxy at the Palais Leuchtenberg in Munich, Bavaria, Germany on 22 May 1823. They also conducted a wedding ceremony in person on 19 June 1823 in Stockholm, Sweden. The first wedding ceremony was Catholic, and the second wedding ceremony was Lutheran.
Oscar and Josephine had five children, of whom two were to become kings of Sweden and Norway. However, Oscar was known for his extramarital affairs, a fact that deeply tormented Josephine, who suffered from jealousy.
In 1844, Josephine became Queen of Sweden and Norway at the accession of her spouse. She was crowned in Sweden on 28 September 1844.
Josephine is thought to have been the instigator of the laws providing equal inheritance for men and women in 1845, reforms in the prisons and social care, and the abolition of the guilds in 1846.
In 1859, Oscar died, thereby making Josephine queen dowager. As queen dowager, she lost all political influence and devoted herself to her charitable activities and her interest in the Catholic congregation and its issues.
Queen Josephine died in Stockholm on 7 June 1876, aged 69.
Link to Wikipedia biography