in france she was known as marie joséphine de savoie. she had a high rank at court as her husband was a grandson of the reiging king. she was a cousin of the ill-fated "princess of lamballe" who was instrumental in the arrangement of the marriage. at the death of her husband’s grandfather louis xv in 1774, her brother-in-law succeeded as louis xvi. she became pregnant in 1774 and 1781, but both pregnancies ended in miscarriage. in 1791 marie joséphine went to germany. during the period of exile, the count and countess fought constantly. some historians have suggested marie joséphine's possible lesbian relationship with a lady-in-waiting as the primary cause for discord between the couple.