Historical Overview: A Shelter for the Grimaldis

There was a distant time when Monaco was little more than an inhospitable rocky peninsula offering a natural seaport for nearby villages. Since those times, the history of Monaco has become inseparable from that of the Grimaldis, as the enduring principality undoubtedly became the jewel of this ancient sovereign House.

Standing high on the Rock, the fortress has sheltered countless sons of the House of Grimaldi — sometimes considered rebels — who in turn have rendered the courtesy by, literally and figuratively, raising their sword in its defense. It is thus said that the Grimaldis hold Monaco "from God and the sword only," and their sovereignty will regularly be recognized by neighboring powers.

Around the time of the First Crusade, Genoa — the cradle of the House of Grimaldi — erected the fortress of Monaco to protect the Western Riviera from attacks by the Saracens' galleys. Merchants and bankers, the Genoese were accurate people and their records allow a reliable dating of the erection of the fortress at 1191. Some sources date the foundation of the Grimaldi dynasty in Monaco as early as the first millennium, which appears to be erroneous in light of current historical research.

Throughout the 12th and 13th centuries, the Commune of Genoa was a nest of acute rivalries between political factions, essentially divided in pro-papal Guelphs and pro-emperor Ghibellines. Political setbacks and popular unrest forced the Grimaldis, who were leading the Guelphic party, to abandon the City-State and regroup in the country. The fortress of Monaco and the county of Provence were perfect shelters for those Genoese rebels. This troubled time also saw the Ghibelines — in the moments of exile — seeking shelter in Monaco, creating occasional military clashes between the opposed political factions until Charles Grimaldi threw the Ghibelines out against a monetary compensation. Thank to its fortress and its port, Monaco was to become a bastion for the Grimaldis' trade and political activism in the region, but also to harass and raid ships passing within their reach.

It is not surprising that until the mid-15th century, many different Grimaldis — brothers and relatives — as well as their allies are closely associated with Monaco, sometimes under the title of lords (condominii). The Grimaldi Family was numerically large and formed an albergo, a Genoese association of patricians similar in essence to today's corporations.

Not only this kind of organization allowed the Genoese aristocracy to liberate the means to explore the trading opportunities the world had to offer, from London to Beijing, but those families came also to combine resources within powerful multi-family alliances. The Genoese concept of albergo thus stretched from the family to the clan. For example, the Cebàs, Cevas, and Olivas were among two dozen allied families in the Grimaldi albergo. In sum, the alberghi came to form extended families within which its members generally worked together.

A Branch Sets Root Permanently in Monaco

A branch of the House of Grimaldi eventually emerged in Monaco, progressively acquiring its land from rivals and securing the sovereignty of the Family through a variety of alliances between Monaco and its neighbors. They acquired adjacent domains and lands making the territory of Monaco larger than today's principality.

In the 15th century, John Grimaldi, lord of Monaco, formally established in his will (1454) the Rules of Succession. It was an important step since Monaco had been a condominium until then. The rule can be summarized as follows: First in line of succession is the male issue, whether legitimate or not, by primogeniture. In the absence of a male heir enters the female issue, whether legitimate or not, by primogeniture, provided that the candidate marries a man legitimately born of the Grimaldi lineage — "unum hominem seu virum natum legitime de progenie seu albergo Grimaldorum." Otherwise, the succession passes to the most closely related member of the Grimaldi albergo. In case there would be two or more Grimaldi cousins alive at equal degrees, the eldest would be chosen.

Claudia, a granddaughter of John, happened to have no brothers to ensure the succession. Following the succession rule, she therefore married (1465) her cousin Lambert Grimaldi of Antibes, which legitimately kept her dynasty on the throne. A younger son of the Grimaldi branch of Antibes, Lambert became lord of Monaco at a time of deep uncertainty. He was a noteworthy ruler who handled diplomacy and the sword with equal talent. Lambert bravely established the independence of Monaco, receiving widespread admiration to the point where his favorite expression, "Deo juvante" ("With God's help"), became a motto for many Grimaldis.

The union proved to be a happy marriage. Politically, however, it was not an easy situation for Lambert, who had immediately to defend Monaco and nearby Menton from the tip of his sword. Taking advantage of the extinction of the first branch of Monaco, intrigues and coup attempts emerged against him. With the help of his brothers of Antibes — who rushed to Monaco's help as often as needed — Lambert repelled all attempts to destabilize or conquer Monaco. Graceful, Monaco always kept its doors open to the Grimaldi of Antibes.

The origin of the princely title deserves a parenthesis, as the intriguing relationship one may have with titles is not new. Over the centuries, the generic title lord slowly gave ground to a variety of more distinctive titles — rightly or wrongly considered superior. For administrative and tax reasons, a hierarchy of titles emerged that enhanced old medieval titles. In Antibes, for example, the Grimaldis successively bore the title of lord, baron and later marquis. In that courtly era of title inflation, Honoré II Grimaldi, lord of Monaco — who was a protector of the arts and an enthusiastic collector — began using the title of prince around 1612. Its usage received acceptance in Spain and France, and it became the recognized title for the sovereign of Monaco.

Louis XIV of France came to appreciate having regularly the services of Honoré's son, prince Louis, and his wife at the court of Versailles. As a gifted officer, Louis fought for France in numerous campaigns against England and Spain. Still, he generally chose to spend his time in Monaco and Genoa rather than in Paris or Versailles, where he could actually enjoy the highest distinctions at the king's court as foreign prince and peer of France. Since the prince of Monaco was well introduced in Rome — through his extended family in Genoa and Italy — he was made ambassador of France to the Holy See to plead the king's case in the delicate question of the succession of Spain. The modern equivalent of that mandate would probably be to broker the end of the Cold War between the US and the USSR. When fulfilling foreign missions, Louis liked to impress his hosts, and he lived lavishly until his death.

A Series of Controversial Succession Issues

Louis' son, Anthony, lived in Monaco penniless, with an embarrassingly broken marriage, which gave him no son. As the written tradition imposed that the succession of Monaco remain in the Grimaldi Family (see Rules of Succession above), Anthony encouraged his daughter Louise-Hippolyte to wed another Grimaldi. In particular, Anthony hoped to marry his daughter to her cousin of Antibes, an honest but impoverished young man, whom he considered like a son. This union was reminiscent of the marriage of Lambert and Claudia. After much intrigue, Louise-Hippolyte cancelled those marriage plans and instead wed Jacques de Goyon Matignon, a well-to-do nobleman of Normandy who aspired to his father-in-law's peerage, one of the most coveted distinctions in France. Anthony died soon after the wedding.

Archbishop Honoré-François survived his nephew, Anthony, and died in 1748. With him ended the branch of Monaco. Regardless of the succession rule and with the approval of the king of France, Jacques de Goyon Matignon succeeded his father-in-law and became Jacques I Grimaldi, taking the name and arms of the ancient Mediterranean family. Clearly, the independence of Monaco had become no more than a façade. Representatives of the House of Grimaldi protested in spite of the inherent legal and political difficulties. They could not however affect the status quo. As to Jacques, many in Monaco and Versailles showed little respect for his cavalier attempt at acquiring rank and privileges through a name change. More Matignon than Grimaldi, he chose to live in Paris, and his ambitions remained largely unfulfilled.

In the turmoil of W.W.I, another disregard for the Succession Rules of the Grimaldi dynasty happened. The French Government of the time wanted a ruler on the throne of the principality who would not threaten the security of France. The aging prince being unmarried, the French Government sought the heir to the throne of Monaco among the prince's affairs. It eventually found the solution in Charlotte Louvet, an illegitimate daughter of prince Louis Matignon-Grimaldi, born in Algeria, whom the prince then decided to adopt. Ms. Louvet took the Grimaldi name and immediately married Pierre de Polignac, a French nobleman, who in turn changed his name to Grimaldi.