''Josephine'' Sophie Anette Charlotte Sparre af Söfdeborg (28 July 1829, Dyrendal,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

– 17 August 1892), called ''Jossan'' or ''Schossan'', was a Swedish

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Great B ...

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

and a

royal mistress A royal mistress is the historical position and sometimes unofficial title of the extramarital lover of a monarch or an heir apparent, who was expected to provide certain services, such as sexual or romantic intimacy, companionship, and advice ...

to King

Charles XV of Sweden Charles XV also Carl (''Carl Ludvig Eugen''); Swedish: ''Karl XV'' and Norwegian: ''Karl IV'' (3 May 1826 – 18 September 1872) was King of Sweden (''Charles XV'') and Norway, there often referred to accurately as Charles IV, from 1859 until his ...

Life

Josephine Sparre was born to

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

noble colonel

chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

Johan Alexander Artemis Sparre and the

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

Sofia Adelaide Rosalie Ancker. She was the sibling of politician Nils Gustaf Alexander Sparre and niece to minister

Gustaf Adolf Vive Sparre Gustaf Adolf Vive Sparre af Söfdeborg (4 September 1802 – 26 April 1886) was a Swedish nobleman, civil servant and politician. He was Sweden's Prime Minister for Justice, and later served as Chancellor of the Universities, and Marshal of the ...

. Sparre was ''

hovfröken A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in Royal Household, royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Role Traditi ...

'' (

maid of honor Bridesmaids are members of the bride's party in a Western traditional wedding ceremony. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman and often a close friend or relative. She attends to the bride on the day of a wedding or marriage ceremony. Traditi ...

) to the

Crown Princess A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wife ...

of Sweden,

Louise of the Netherlands Louise of the Netherlands (Wilhelmina Frederika Alexandrine Anna Louise; 5 August 1828 – 30 March 1871) was Queen of Sweden and Norway from 8 July 1859 until her death in 1871 as the wife of King Charles XV & IV. Youth Princess Louise was born ...

, in 1851–59, and ''

kammarfröken A Maid of the Bedchamber (Danish: ''Kammerfrøken''; German: ''Kammerfräulein''; Russian: ''Kammer-devitsa''; Swedish: ''Kammarfröken'') was a court office for a lady-in-waiting in several European courts. The office was that of maid of hono ...

'' (senior maid of honor) in 1859-62. Sparre was described as so dominant that the Crown Princess and her maid of honor was said to have changed places with each other and Louise being the lady-in-waiting to Josephine Sparre rather than the other way around. Sparre was the mistress of Crown Prince Charles between 1852 and 1860. Prior to their relationship, Charles had a relationship with her relative

Sigrid Sparre Sigrid Sparre (''Sigrid Maria Josefina Ingeborg Richissa Eufemia Ulfhild''; 1 September 1825, in Nygård – 17 November 1910, in Stockholm) was a Swedish lady in waiting and noblewoman, known for her relationship with Charles XV of Sweden. Sigrid ...

and then to the actress-courtesan

Laura Bergnéhr Laura Bergnéhr (died 1852) was a Swedish actress. She is known as the mistress of king Charles XV of Sweden. Laura Bergnéhr was the daughter of lieutenant Lars August Bergnéhr and the courtesan Lovisa Spångberg (her mother later married the no ...

Fritz von Dardel Fritz Ludvig von Dardel (24 March 1817 – 27 May 1901) was a Swedish diarist, illustrator and early comics artist. He was a courtier, and is known for his diary and illustrations depicting the life of the Swedish court in the mid-19th century. ...

described Sparre: :"The lady in question is a great favorite of the Crown Prince as well as with the Crown Princess, and she governs them both entirely in everything about their daily life. Gifted with an unusual talent to please and make herself indispensable, she has managed to capture the Crown Prince to a strange degree."Robert Braun (1950). Silvertronen, En bok om drottning Josefine av Sverige-Norge. (The Silver Throne. A Book about Queen Josefine of Sweden-Norway) Stockholm: Norlin Förlag AB. ISBN (Swedish) page 99 All the sympathies were with Louisa, who in turn acted very tolerant toward Josephine and Charles and acted as if she had not noticed it. Josephine became unpopular within the court due to her way of demonstrating her relationship with Charles, following him around openly at court "like a patch", and the general lack of discretion around the ongoing relationship. Charles XV did, however, have several more temporary affairs in parallel, such as his reputed affair with

Elise Hwasser Ebba Charlotta Elise Hwasser née ''Jakobsson'' (16 March 1831 – 28 January 1894) was a Swedish stage actress. She was an elite actor and has been referred to as the leading lady of the Royal Dramatic Theatre in the mid 19th-century.Nordensva ...

in circa 1857. Sparre was engaged several times, once with

foreign minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

Oscar Björnstjerna, but broke the engagement in 1856 because she did not wish to leave the crown prince and the court. In about 1860, however, Charles XV entered in to his relationship with

Hanna Styrell Hanna Styrell (Stockholm, 21 January 1842 – 19 April 1904), was a Swedish actress. She is known as the royal mistress of King Charles XV of Sweden. Life Styrell was the daughter of a baker in Stockholm. She became an actress at the age of seve ...

. In 1862, Sparre married Norwegian cabinet chamberlain Bredo Stang with the royal couple present. After her marriage, she settled in Norway. During the

Union of Sweden and Norway Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

, the royal family had a separate court in Norway who met the royal family at the border and served during their stay in Norway. During her life in Norway, Josephine Sparre resumed her court service when she was appointed ''

statsfru A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

'' (

Lady of the Bedchamber Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a British queen regnant or queen consort. The position is traditionally held by the wife of a peer. They are ranked between the Mis ...

) to queen Louise's Norwegian household under

Juliane Wedel Jarlsberg Juliane Cathrine Wilhelmine Wedel Jarlsberg (1818–1872) was a Norwegian court official. She served as the '' overhoffmesterinne'' for Queen Louise of Norway. Life She was the daughter of Norwegian baron Ferdinand Carl Maria Wedel-Jarlsberg (1 ...

between 1864 and 1871. Her office at the Norwegian court was uncommon, as the royal family's household in Norway was much smaller and the office of statsfru had not been filled there since the reign of Charles XIV John. Her service at the royal Norwegian court was much more irregular, as the royal family spent the majority of their time in Sweden. She died in 1892.

References

Svenskt biografiskt lexikon ''Svenskt biografiskt lexikon'' () is a Swedish biographical dictionary, started in 1917. The first volume, covering names ''Abelin'' to ''Anjou'', was published in 1918. As of 2017, names from A to S are covered. Volumes # ABELIN – ANJOU (1 ...

* Lars Elgklou (1978). ''Bernadotte. Historien - eller historier - om en familj''. (Bernadotte. The story - or stories - of a family) Stockholm: Askild & Kärnekull Förlag AB (In Swedish) * Gustaf Elgenstierna, Den introducerade svenska adelns ättartavlor. 1925-36. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sparre, Josephine 1829 births Mistresses of Charles XV 1892 deaths Swedish countesses Swedish ladies-in-waiting