The Tragedy of Princess Louise-Hippolyte

Prince Antoine I died in 1731 and was succeeded by his daughter, an enigmatic and captivating figure in Grimaldi history; HSH Princess Louise-Hippolyte. It was a sad day for the principality as Prince Antoine I, the one known as “Goliath” because of his great size and strength, had been extremely popular amongst the general public. It was an historic change in Monegasque history and though the people also loved Princess Louise-Hippolyte, they were not thrilled about the rules of succession set down by Lord Jean I that an heiress should marry into her own family and, were that not possible, that her husband would have to take the name and coat of arms of the House of Grimaldi. They had no great love for Jacques de Mantignon and were fairly adamant, from the very beginning, that they would bow to the authority of a Grimaldi Princess but not to her French husband. Prince Jacques was deeply offended by this and, as the public made their feelings clear and generally shunned him, he left the remote Principality and returned to Paris, leaving Princess Louise-Hippolyte to rule Monaco on her own.

During the short time that Princess Louise-Hippolyte shared with her subjects as their Sovereign Princess (a novel title in Grimaldi history) she was greatly loved by her people because of the great love she showed for them. Contemporary accounts record that she had a very maternal sort of relationship with her people, cherishing them all as much as she did her own children. The people appreciated her care and concern and called her la bonne princesse. She had not been enthusiastic about sharing power with her husband, and was often suspicious of his ambition, so she was not terribly distraught when he left, though it would be untrue to say that she never missed her husband or had no feelings for him at all. He was the father of her eight children and that must have counted for something. Yet, her people adored her and she was utterly devoted to their welfare. She had expected to one day become the reigning monarch, she wanted to prove herself and she wanted to show everyone, even the chattering class at Versailles, what she was capable of. The Princess was undoubtedly a very strong and committed woman.

Sadly, her reign was to be an extremely short one, lasting less than a year. She was only thirty-four years old when she was taken away by an outbreak of smallpox and the grief of the Monegasque people was just as heartfelt as that of her own children. Her husband found no more acceptance among the Monegasque after her death than when she first came to the throne and his rule did not last long either before it was turned over to a regent in the name of the little Prince Honore III who was only eleven years old when his mother died. The loss of Princess Louise-Hippolyte was a great tragedy, even though Monaco remained in competent hands after her death. Yet, one cannot help but wonder how events would have unfolded if she had lived to reign into old age. It is hard not to imagine great things considering the level of mutual support that existed between the subjects and their Sovereign Princess. The death of so young and lovely a person is tragedy enough, but there is an added sting that she wanted so much to prove what a great monarch she could have been and there was every indication she would have been, yet she never got the chance.

Victor Amadeus II of Savoy

Having recently noted the anniversary of the tragically premature passing of HSH Princess Louise-Hippolyte of Monaco it should be noted that her death was a sad occasion for many people far beyond the boundaries of Monaco. One of those who certainly took notice was Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy. Born in Turin in 1666 he was quite advanced in age for the time when he became infatuated with the lovely and lively Princess Louise Hippolyte, Duchess of Valentinois. During his life he would be, at various times, King of Sicily and King of Sardinia as well as Duke of Savoy. In 1684 he married Princess Anne-Marie of Orleans, daughter of Prince Philippe of France (brother of King Louis XIV) and Princess Henrietta of England. The early years of his reign saw a crackdown on the Protestants in his domain but this was eventually eased up when political considerations forced him into an alliance with the Protestant Dutch and English. Whereas Savoy had previously been very friendly with France, Victor Amadeus II broke with this tradition and fought with Empire against France in the Nine Years War and War of Spanish Succession. Though Monaco itself was neutral this effectively put him at odds with the towering Prince Antoine of Monaco (father of Louise-Hippolyte) who was very pro-French and fought in the service of the King of France.

His first wife died in 1728 and in 1730 he married a local woman, beneath his station but with the permission of Pope Clement XII. However, even though his first wife was very devoted Victor Amadeus II was not a faithful husband. He would certainly have jumped at the chance of an affair with Princess Louise-Hippolyte as well, but she was not too wild on the idea. She found the old gentleman rather boring and in any event was herself quite devoted to her own husband. Victor Amadeus liked to drop in on the princess at Monaco for “surprise” visits but Louise-Hippolyte caught on and proved too clever for him. With her extensive social network she was instantly informed as soon as he set foot in Nice, which surely meant he would then be on his way to Monaco. As secretive as he thought he was being, he was watched the entire time and the Princess knew every step of his progress. He never quite figured out how it happened that as soon as he crossed the Monegasque border for one of this “unexpected” visit’s the local artillery would fire off an earth-shattering salute.

In any event, Victor Amadeus, influential figure though he was, did not have a very happy end to his life. In 1731 Princess Louise-Hippolyte of Monaco died, which certainly distressed him, and he was not to live very much longer himself. The year before he had abdicated in favor of his son Charles Emanuel III. However, he later tried to go back on his decision and his son had him arrested. He suffered a stroke and blamed his wife for his misfortunes. He died in 1732, only a year after the early loss of the Princess of Monaco he so wished to have.

Two Events in Grimaldi History

It was on this day in 1731 that HSH Princess Louise-Hippolyte passed away, leaving the throne of Monaco to her husband HSH Prince Jacques I, begining the Mantignon line of the Grimaldi family. However, Monaco was never a good fit for the prince and he soon abdicated in favor of his young son HSH Prince Honore III. He then retired to his more familiar haunts of Paris and Versailles. His former home is now the residence of the French prime minister.

It was also on this day in 1983 that HSH Princess Caroline of Monaco married Italian businessman Stefano Casiraghi. Although their marriage would be cut short by tragedy their years together were thankfully happy ones and Princess Caroline has stated more than once that Stefano was her true 'one and only'. Stefano died in 1990 while boat racing but he gave the Princess three wonderful children; Andrea, Pierre and Charlotte.

Today in Grimaldi History

It was one of the most controversial matches in Monegasque history and the search for a husband for Princess Louise-Hippolyte, daughter of Prince Antoine I of Monaco, was extremely contentious. The Princess was not supposed to have any say in the matter, her father had packed her off to the Convent of the Visitation at Aix-en-Provence for two years until he settled the matter for her. However, her mother, Princess Marie de Lorraine, slipped out of Monaco in the dark of night, without the knowledge of her husband (with whom she did not have the greatest relationship) and went to Paris where she and her father decided on the dashing nobleman Jacques de Mantignon, Comte de Thorigny. He was wealthy, 25-years-old and from a very good family and they considered him the best choice. However, Marie de Lorraine knew Prince Antoine I would oppose any choice she made so she and her father approached the Duchess of Lude to approach the Sovereign Prince of Monaco on the subject.

Prince Antoine was totally duped. The Duchess convinced him that Jacques was her own suggestion and not only did he agree but he extracted a promise from the duchess to keep the name “secret” from his wife. He thought he had put one over on his wife, not knowing she was behind the whole affair. Antoine wrote to Marie de Lorraine to inform her that the choice had been made and if King Louis XIV of France agreed (necessary because of the place the Grimaldis held in the French aristocracy) Jacques de Mantignon would be married to their daughter. Needless to say, Princess Marie wrote back to her husband congratulating him on such an excellent choice and asking to come back to Monaco. The marriage negotiations got underway but things came to a halt when King Louis XIV, who had been a great friend of Monaco, passed away. But, after his death, the young King Louis XV and his regent signed the marriage contract on September 5 and on October 20, 1715 the marriage of 18-year-old Princess Louise-Hippolyte and Jacques de Mantignon took place.

Unfortunately, problems seemed to plague the young couple from the very start. Before they were married even a year they lost a child, a tragic event for all concerned, and to make matters worse Prince Antoine and Princess Marie were at odds again. After having established something of a truce Prince Antoine found out how he had been fooled into accepting Marie’s candidate for husband to their daughter and he was furious. Always known for his short-temper, Antoine made things so heated that Princess Louise-Hippolyte and Prince Jacques could not stand the atmosphere in Monaco and moved to Paris. Prince Antoine also came into conflict with his daughter and (more so) his son-in-law after the death of his wife in 1724. Marie de Lorraine (as per her own marriage agreement) left her fortune to her daughter and the cash-strapped Prince Jacques sued for control of the estate of his late wife, accomplishing nothing in the end but making some lawyers wealthier and himself all the poorer.

Princess Louise-Hippolyte and Prince Jacques would go on to have plenty of problems of their own, ended only when the life of the Princess was cut short not long after succeeding her father as Sovereign Princess of Monaco. However, the marriage was an extremely significant event as it made Princess Louise-Hippolyte the mother of a whole new branch of the Grimaldi princely house. Despite their problems Princess Louise-Hippolyte and Prince Jacques had nine children together, though two did not long survive. Because of their marriage the rule of the Grimaldi family in Monaco would go on in the person of their oldest (surviving) son who in due time became Prince Honore III of Monaco.

Grimaldi Double Birthday

It was on this day in 1697 that HSH Princess Louise-Hippolyte of Monaco was born and it was today in 1785 that HSH Prince Florestan I of Monaco was born. It was Princess Louise-Hippolyte who was mother of the subsequent Mantignon-Grimaldi branch after her marriage to HSH Prince Jacques I who succeeded her on the throne after her death from smallpox in 1731. Her line would continue all the way to HSH Prince Louis II after whom, by the marriage of his daughter Princess Charlotte to Prince Pierre, we came to have the Polignac-Grimaldi line which continues to this day.

Prince Florestan, as all will remember, was that artistic, dramatic Grimaldi who had little interest in being a monarch but who inherited the job from his brother Prince Honore V. Prior to that he had served in the French army during the Napoleonic Wars, at the insistence of his mother, and was taken prisoner during the invasion of Russia. Probably his greatest contribution to Monegasque history was his marriage to the energetic and formidable Princess Maria Caroline who did much to put Monaco on a solid foundation for the future.

Princess Louise-Hippolyte of Monaco

Blogger Ann Lauren relates the life of the only Sovereign Princess of Monaco (so far) Louise-Hippolyte, daughter Prince Antoine I and Marie de Lorraine.

H.S.H. Princess Louise-Hippolyte

The only woman (so far) to reign over Monaco as Sovereign Princess was Her Serene Highness Louise-Hippolyte the daughter of HSH Prince Antoine I and Princess Marie of Lorraine. Her actual reign was an extremely short one but also extremely important as it is from her line that the current Monegasque Princely Family descends. HSH Princess Louise-Hippolyte was born in Monaco on October 10, 1697 and from fairly early on in life it became clear that there would be no sons for Prince Antoine I and that his eldest daughter would succeed him on the throne of Monaco. Out of six children only Louise-Hippolyte and her sister Princess Margaretha long survived. Practically as soon as Louise-Hippolyte was in her teens the search, and the pressure, was on to find her a suitable husband to secure the future of the Grimaldi monarchy.

By the time Louise-Hippolyte was 15 she was the subject of numerous plots, schemes and intrigues related to her potential marriage as various players tried to engineer an advantage for themselves with the expected future ruler of Monaco. Her father, Prince Antoine, thought it best to find someone who would not be so highly born as to resist giving up his own surname; he was determined that the name of Grimaldi would continue. Finally, the choice for groom-to-be fell on Jacques Francois de Goyon Matignon. The approval of King Louis XIV of France was sought, and received, for the young man to take the name Grimaldi and to rule Monaco jointly with his wife. He was not too high born but still seemed to have excellent credentials. One of his ancestors was the famous Marshal Jacques de Matignon who refused to participate in the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre against his Protestant countrymen. The couple married on October 20, 1715. Louise-Hippolyte was 18 and her husband was almost 26.

Prince Antoine I died in 1731 and he was succeeded by his daughter, HSH Louise-Hippolyte, Sovereign Princess of Monaco. However, she came to the throne traumatized by all of the intrigue surrounding her search for a husband. So much had been made of the search for, not simply a husband, but a Prince of Monaco who was expected to rule and dominate no matter who he was, Princess Louise-Hippolyte was extremely jealous and suspicious of her husband from the outset. She was not wild about the idea of joint rule with her Prince Jacques. As the eldest child of Prince Antoine I she viewed it as her birthright and duty to be Sovereign Princess of Monaco and the one and only reigning monarch. She struggled with her husband over his assuming more power than she felt he was entitled to. Jacques and Louise-Hippolyte had eight children but nonetheless they never really had a happy marriage. The low opinion Princess Louise-Hippolyte had of her husband was not helped by the fact that he paid her little attention and preferred to live a lavish lifestyle at the French court in Versailles with a succession of mistresses.

At the time her father died Princess Louise-Hippolyte left Paris and traveled to Monaco, arriving on April 4, 1731 to a warm welcome of smiling faces and cheering crowds. When Prince Jacques finally pulled himself away from his pleasures at Versailles to go to Monaco he had a far less enthusiastic reception; the people seemingly sharing the point of view of their princess. The Princess herself though they adored as one of their own, the daughter of the monarch who had done so much for them. It is tempting to wonder how things would have worked out between Princess Louise-Hippolyte and Prince Jacques but we will never know. Sadly, after only 11 months the Reigning Princess was stricken with smallpox and died on December 29, 1731. She was succeeded by her husband who took the throne as Sovereign Prince Jacques I of Monaco.