European Kingdoms

Principality of Monaco (Western Europe)
AD 1612 - 1793

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In the first millennium BC the European region which makes up Monaco was inhabited by Ligurians. They occupied territory between today's Liguria and the north-eastern corner of Iberia. The Roman republic conquered them by the end of the first century BC. The Tropaeum Alpium ('Trophy of the Alps') stands majestically in the commune of La Turbie on the French Riviera to mark Rome's hard-fought victory over them and the Alpine tribes.

The post-Roman empire period saw the region partially being depopulated. Land which would become today's principality of Monaco was only acquired by the republic of Genoa in 1191. The early foundations of the 'Lordship of Monaco' would be laid during that Genoese colonial period.

The Grimaldis were a notable Guelph family, supporters of the medieval Papacy. They seized the Monaco colony in 1297. For the most part they governed from then onwards, making them Europe's longest-serving dynasty. From 1612 they used the title 'sovereign prince' to underline their independence while also holding the lordships of Menton and Roquebrune.

It took until 1633 for Philip IV of Spain to recognise the title, while Louis XIII of Bourbon France only recognised it in 1641, but the 'Principality of Monaco' is generally accepted to begin in 1612. Sympathy for republican ideas increased during the French Revolution and, ultimately, France annexed Monaco to trigger an uncertain period for what temporarily was the 'Republic of Monaco'.

(Information by John De Cleene and the John De Cleene Archive, with additional information from Hammond's Historical Atlas (C S Hammond & Co, 1963), from Historical Atlas of the World, R R Palmer (Ed, Rand McNally & Company, 1963), from National Geographic (May 1996), from Oxford Atlas of World History, Patrick K O'Brien (Ed, Oxford University Press, 1999), from Washington Post (16 November 1996), and from External Links: Hello Monaco, and Monaco (Flags of the World), and Monaco, (Heraldica.org), and Monaco (Rulers.org), and Monaco (Monaco.mc, no longer online but available via the Internet Archive), and Provence & Beyond, and Monaco (World Statesmen).)

1604 - 1662

Ruling 'Lordship of Monaco' from 1604.

1604 - 1616

Uncle & regent. Prince of Val di Taro.

1612

Honorė II, lord of Monaco, begins using the title 'sovereign prince'. The Grimaldis are entitled to use the title thanks to their possessions in Italy. It takes nearly thirty years for the title to be fully accepted outside of Monaco but, from this point onwards, it is officially the 'Principality of Monaco'.

1616 - 1662

Honorė greatly expands and embellishes the Prince's Palace and gathers together a magnificent collection of over seven hundred paintings. He adds in sumptuous furniture and ornamentation, sponsors art displays, ballet, entertainment, and marvellous religious ceremonies at the Church of St Nicholas, and enhances Monaco's reputation as a seat of culture.

The early flag of Monaco included two figures in monks habits, mimicking the initial seizure of the rock by François Grimaldi and Rainier I

1641

Honorė secretly negotiates with Cardinal Richelieu of France to establish a French protectorate over the principality. The Treaty of Péronne confirms the protectorate and guarantees Monaco's independence.

Soon afterwards, Honorė secretly houses French troops in Monaco. He invites the troops and commanders of the Spanish garrison to a grand banquet during which they become inebriated. French troops rush in and expel the disabled Spaniards.

The French install a garrison in Monaco whose troops are answerable to the prince of Monaco rather than the French state, but it is at this point at which Monaco effectively ceases to be part of the Holy Roman empire.

1642

France compensates Monaco for the loss of estates in Naples and Milan. The prince receives French nationality, along with estates in Dauphiné. These become the duchy-peerage of Valentinois (Valence), the marquisate des Baux, and the county of Carladès, along with other honours. The new titles are assigned to designated offspring of the sovereign prince.

The bathing pavilion and gardens are clearly visible in the palace's west wing (the left-hand side of the building) in this 1732 painting by Dominique-Joseph Bressan, during which time Monaco was encouraging visitors to come for the sea-bathing

1662 - 1701

Grandson. Louis XIV's ambassador to the Papal states.

1660 - 1678

Louis' wife, Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, daughter of the marshal of France, Antoine de Gramont, is an exceptional beauty who is popular at the court of Versailles. She becomes one of the mistresses of Louis XIV of France, with the approval of her husband who sees advantages for himself in the arrangement. The quiet life at Monaco does not agree with her however so, in 1672, she and her husband separate and she returns to France where she dies of tuberculosis six years later.

1688 - 1697

Monaco is an ally of France during the Nine Years War, also referred to as the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsberg. Louis' son and heir, Antoine, distinguishes himself in battles at Philipsburg (1688) and Fleurus (1690), and at the sieges of Mons (1691) and Namur (1692).

The onset of the Thirty Years War was marked by the newly-elected Holy Roman emperor, Ferdinand II, imposing religious uniformity on all his lands, which meant that all Protestants would have to convert - an impossible demand

1701

As Louis XIV's ambassador to the Papal states, Louis's negotiations nearly bankrupt the principality while he is being employed to help the Bourbons establish their position on the throne of Spain. The result of that endeavour precipitates the War of the Spanish Succession.

1701 - 1731

Son. Strengthened the principality's defences.

1701 - 1713

Antoine strengthens Monaco's defences, work which includes the building of large underground bunkers to shield the populace from cannon bombardment. The enormous cost to the treasury requires him to melt down the family silver and sell off the family jewels.

When Savoy joins the 'Grand Alliance' against France during the War of the Spanish Succession in 1705, he tries to strengthen the northern defences at La Turbie but is prevented from doing so by his inexperienced and unreliable French allies.

The Battle of Glenshiel in 1719 was the second and final defeat of a doomed small-scale Spanish-supported invasion of Scotland, part of the War of the Quadruple Alliance

1731

Daughter. Died of smallpox.

1731 - 1733

Husband. Comte de Thorigny. Left Monaco & abdicated.

1731 - 1733

Louise Hippolyte's husband, Jacques de Goyon Mantignon, comte de Thorigny, is viewed as being a lesser noble because he is not a Grimaldi. However, he brings several additional titles to that of prince of Monaco, as do other marriages.

He has previously lived at Versailles with his mistresses, and is a close friend of Louis XIV. When he arrives in Monaco in 1731 as the consort of the sovereign princess, he is not trusted either by his wife or the Monegasques. He sees himself as the ruling prince.

Following the untimely death of Louise Hippolyte, her sister Marguerite mounts a campaign against Jacques. He resolves the friction with the appointment of Antoine I's illegitimate son, Antoine, the chevalier de Grimaldi, as governor-general and regent of Monaco.

The 'Rock of Monaco' is a sixty-two metre-tall promontory which overlooks Monte-Carlo's modern port and the Mediterranean Sea, and is also the oldest of Monaco's settlement areas, the one in which the Old Town is located

Antoine becomes an effective ruler. Jacques abdicates in favour of his thirteen-year-old son, Honorė, and leaves Monaco for the more glamorous life with his mistresses in Paris for the next twenty years, dying in 1751 (his house in Paris, the Hotel Matignon, is now the residence of French prime ministers).

1733 - 1793

Son. Deposed, arrested, & imprisoned.

1731 - 1784

Son of Antoine. Governor & regent.

1740 - 1748

Honorė is often absent while he leads forces in the name of France, including during the War of the Austrian Succession. He is wounded at Rocoux and later earns the Cross of St Louis. Following acceptance of the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, he is made a marshal of France.

Monaco, however, is officially neutral during the war and offers assistance both to French and British ships which dock there. Austria and Sardinia blockade the coast, but the French break the blockade in 1748.

Charles Emanuel III enjoyed a long reign as duke of Savoy and king of Sardinia, confirming his control over the island in the face of Spain's reluctance to let go of its lost possessions

1740

Honorė increases trade in the hopes of improving an economy which is heavily dependent upon citrus fruits. He also establishes Monaco's first printing press and the principality's first newspaper.

1770

Further modernising the principality, Honorė abolishes what he considers the barbaric law which awards to the sovereign prince the property of anyone who dies on the prince's property.

1789

The French Revolution finds an appreciative reception in Monaco and even generates some positive feeling towards the Genoese republic. Honorė goes to Paris to persuade the French 'National Constituent Assembly' not to strip him of his French titles even as the assembly aims at abolishing aristocratic privileges.

The French revolutionary 'Reign of Terror' reached its peak between 5 September 1793 and 27 July 1794, with civil war mixing into desperate armed conflict with several hostile states, forcing the Revolutionary government to make terror the mainstay of its rule

He convinces the assembly that his titles and French estates are not gifts from the king of France but rewards for services which the princes of Monaco have rendered to France. The assembly views him favourably and, while it still confiscates his properties, it also endorses a generous pension as compensation.

Danton comes to power, the republic is declared, and Monaco is forgotten, except for an insincere declaration of Monaco's neutrality. Two parties emerge in Monaco itself: a pro-sovereignty party and the 'Party of the People', which ultimately will win the day and declare a puppet 'Republic of Monaco'.

1793

France deposes, arrests, and imprisons Honorė and his son, the future Honorė IV (who develops poor health which he endures for the rest of his life). Monaco is annexed, while the rock is renamed Fort Hercules. Monaco remains a canton of France before being organised into a department in its own right.

Honorė III attempted in vain to retain his position and titles during the fevered French 'First Republic' period, but he did manage to avoid the guillotine and kept his son and successor alive

The riches of the palace are confiscated and auctioned, while the palace itself is converted into a hospital. Many Grimaldi family members endure a period of imprisonment, and have to sell off most of their property while the 'Republic of Monaco' endures.