HSH Prince Jacques I

One of the more controversial men to hold the title of Prince of Monaco was Jacques Francois Leonor Goyon de Matignon. It will be noticed that his name was not Grimaldi and that would be a hurtful point to many. On October 20, 1715 he married Hereditary Princess Louise-Hippolyte of Monaco, daughter and successor of Sovereign Prince Antoine I after a long and contentious search for a suitable husband. Part of the appeal of Jacques that he was not so well born as to be reluctant to change his name. Unfortunately this would also mean that he would tainted from the start with the image of a social-climber. Still, his own family was fairly prestigious as well coming from one of the oldest families of Brittany. One of his ancestors was the famous Marshal Jacques de Matignon who refused to participate in the notorious Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.

Many other members of the larger Grimaldi clan were adamantly opposed to the marriage of Louise-Hippolyte and Jacques de Matignon. They argued, not unreasonably, that according to previous accords the Monegasque throne should only pass to a Grimaldi and that by the marriage Jacques would become the effective ruler of the principality and the founder of a new dynasty in all but name. They tried to pursue the matter through legal means but to no avail and thereafter many took to referring to the Monegasque Princely Family as the House of Matignon rather than Grimaldi. Nor was the Princess of Monaco herself happy with her husband whom she viewed, because of all the intrigue surrounding the marriage, with great suspicion, suspecting that he was only using her to advance his own position. Her fears were not unreasonable as Jacques was attracted to the marriage because he would be gaining a principality rather than any real devotion to the Princess and the match was pushed by King Louis XIV of France who wanted to secure French influence over Monaco and he knew that Jacques would be “his man” as it were.

In 1731, with the death of Antoine I, Prince Jacques became “Sovereign Consort” of Monaco and thought of himself as the real ruler of the place and this was another example of what Princess Louise-Hippolyte regarded as her husband assuming more power than was his right and attempting to usurp her legitimate place as Sovereign Princess of Monaco. Nonetheless, throughout their marriage the line of Prince Jacques I was secured by the birth of eight children from 1717 to 1728. When the couple came to the throne the people of Monaco welcomed their Princess but scorned their new Prince who they saw as acting arrogantly and really caring nothing for the people but only about what he could gain from the Principality. Even before assuming the throne he avoided Monaco and preferred to stay with the French court at Versailles enjoying a succession of mistresses. The marriage of Grimaldi and Matignon was not a happy one.

Prince Jacques I was the effective ruler of Monaco, especially after Princess Louise-Hippolyte died of smallpox only eleven months into her reign. With no more opposition Jacques I was able to assume total control of Monaco and was recognized as the Sovereign Prince by the King of France. However, his reign would not be a peaceful one even after the passing of his wife. Her fight was taken up by her sister Princess Margaret d’Isenghien who conspired against Jacques on the grounds that the Monegasque had always been ruled by a Grimaldi and would accept nothing else. To deal with this Prince Jacques appointed the Chevalier de Grimaldi (an illegitimate son of Antoine I) to be Governor of Monaco. Fortunately the Chevalier proved to be a wise administrator and ruled Monaco with great ability for the next 50 years. It was certainly an improvement over Prince Jacques who never showed much interest in Monegasque affairs and was generally unpopular. He preferred the high life of the French court to the business of governing his little Principality. Finally, with public opposition to his rule showing no signs of letting up he left Monaco in May of 1732 and the following year abdicated in favor of his son Prince Honore III. The new Sovereign Prince was barely 14 but with the Chevalier running things the country seemed to be in capable hands with good prospects for the future. Prince Jacques returned to his favored lifestyle in Versailles and Paris where he spent the rest of his life before his death on April 23, 1751. His former residence in Paris, named the Hotel Matignon is today the official residence of the French prime minister.

Albert II at Soccer Match in Monaco

Yesterday, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco attended the UEFA Super Cup Soccer Match at the Louis II Stadium in Monaco between Barcelona and Shakhtar Donetsk. The Sovereign Prince is seen here with UEFA president Michel Platini before the game.

Charles I, Lord of Monaco

Charles I, Lord of Monaco occupied “the Rock” on September 12, 1331. Most historians consider him the effective founder of the Principality of Monaco under the House of Grimaldi. Like his father, Rainier I, and his son Rainier II, Charles was a famous seafaring adventurer and had a place of prominence at the court of the King of France and the Count of Provence. Charles I was the son of Lord Rainier I and his first wife Salvatica del Carretto. On April 10, 1301 “the Rock” of Monaco was occupied by the forces of the Republic of Genoa which they would retain for thirty years until Charles took it back, ruling the coastal enclave for the rest of his life. In 1336 a Monegasque fleet sailed east and plundered the commercial shipping of Venice capturing vessels off the coasts of Syria and Egypt.

Pope Benedict XII intervened on behalf of Venice and called upon King Robert of Naples to keep the Monegasque under control. The King, who was also Lord of Provence, had to admit that he had no control or sovereignty over Monaco and thus history was given the first mention of Monegasque independence. By that time Genoa had tired of the continuous feud between the Guelfs and Ghibellines and an “outsider” candidate was elected Doge who stopped pressing the fight against the House of Grimaldi. The naval forces of Genoa and Monaco then allied to assist the French in the Hundred Years War against King Edward III of England. These ships, assisted by some French vessels, captured Portsmouth without firing a shot as the English fleet was engaged supporting the transport and supply of the English forces to Flanders.

Charles Grimaldi and Anthony Doria then appeared off Southampton spurred on by the promise of reward from the French admiral to whoever could penetrate the English defenses first. It was October 5, 1338 and the French, Genoese and Monegasque forces captured and pillaged Southampton and by the time English reinforcements arrived the ships of Monaco and her allies had already sailed away loaded down with loot. At sea they met up with the King of Scotland, David Bruce or David II, and escorted him to France where he sought an alliance with the French. For a time the French and her allies were masters of the Channel and there was ambitious talk of invading England but squabbling and the disapproval of the Pope meant that the grand scheme came to nothing.

In the meantime Charles of Monaco and the allied naval forces continued to raid and harass the English coast, even cutting off the ears and fingers of some victims which they displayed back in Calais. It was not behavior to be proud of and only infuriated Edward III in his own invasion of France. However, the Guelf and Ghibelline rivalry did not die easily and when some discontented Genoese tried to set up their own republic (even their own Doge) in Boulogne-sur-Mer the Monegasque fought against them in what was a transplanted feud in northern France of the Genoa-Monaco rivalry that was going on in the south. The French were occupied with other issues such as sending Charles I to attack the English fishing fleet which was a primary source of experienced manpower for the English war galleys. He attacked on September 8, 1339 but stormy seas robbed him of many prizes.

The Monegasque and Genoese fleets were then sent back to the Mediterranean to secure French shipping in that area, just in the nick of time as things turned out. When an English fleet all but destroyed the French naval forces the King called on Charles of Monaco for help. Twenty good war galleys made it through the Straights of Gibraltar in Winter to aid the French, assisting in the siege of Chateaureaux and the capture of Nantes. The Monegasque held their own against the English but Charles I was eventually forced to start over and raise another fleet. Thirty-two galleys and 7,000 men were assembled but were slow to reach the main theater of operations. King Edward III was able to get his own fleet and invasion army across to France before Charles could do anything about it. The scene was set for the epic battle of Crecy, one of the most significant battles of the Hundred Years war.

On August 26, 1346 the combined forces of the two sides met and in the front line of the French allied army was a Charles I of Monaco with his corps of crossbowmen alongside those of Anthony Doria of Genoa. They were worn out from heavy marching and the strings on the crossbows were wet while the English long bowmen had kept their own dry. The Monegasque arrows fell short while the English arrows decimated the French ranks. The King of France angrily ordered his cavalry to ride over the Genoese line, part punishment as well as attack, but the English arrows cut them down as well and the battle ended in a gallant but stupendous defeat for the French. Charles I himself was badly wounded and left for dead on the field yet, the tough adventurer survived. As the English moved on to besiege Calais the Monegasque fleet under Charles’ son Rainier II, arrived in 1355 to assist the French with 24 galleys and 6,000 crossbowmen.

When Charles I was not fighting the English he greatly expanded the territory of Monaco by purchasing the lordships of Menton and Roquebrune from Nicholas Spinola for a rumored price of 1,280 gold florins taken from the looting of Southampton. These lands were to remain part of the Principality of Monaco until 1861. He also bought the lordships of Castillon and Eze from what was then Provence. However, his fighting prime past him, Charles I began to look to the future and provided that after his death Monaco should be governed jointly by his sons Rainier II, Gabriel and his uncle Antonio. Charles I had earlier married Lucchina Spinola, daughter of Lord Girardo Spinola of Dertonne by whom he had eight children; Louis, Rainier II, Francis, Gabriel, Charles, Lancelot, Ruffus and Anastasia. He died on August 15, 1357. The conquering forces of Genoa would return after his death but following the joint rulership his son Louis would govern after his brothers and great uncle in his turn.

MM Video: Princely Stamps of Monaco

Caroline & Casiraghi News

Are Andrea Casiraghi and longtime girlfriend Tatiana Santo Domingo (seen above) a thing of the past? That's what has the Monaco rumor mills humming ever since photos came out of the 2nd in line to the Monegasque throne on the island of Ponza walking and getting quite romanitic with a girl who was definitely not Tatiana though he was seen again with her the following day. If this is the end of their relationship, I would find it a shame as Tatiana was always my favorite Casiraghi girlfriend and seemed a very "normal" girl very at home in her own skin. Mad for Monaco will follow the story. In other news HRH Princess Caroline of Hanover and daughter Charlotte Casiraghi were among the VIP's attending the benefit gala for the Miracle Africa International Foudation Gala in Valkenswaard. Charlotte was also recently at a riding event in France but did not do so well and was in tears from the pain in her wrist from her recent car wreck. Luckily, attentive mom Princess Caroline was on hand to rush to her little girl's aid with an ice pack. There's your 'heart warming' moment folks. Take them when you can.

Anniversary of Crécy

It was on this day in 1346 that the epic battle of Crécy was fought in northern France. One of the pivotal battles of the Hundred Years War between France and England the combined forces of the two nations were commanded by the famous King Edward III of England along with Edward the Black Prince while the French were led by King Philip VI. Most know this battle as one of the great English victories in history as well as all but wiping out the flower of the French nobility and being the begining of the end of the age of chivalry. However, not as many people are aware of the Monegasque contribution to the battle. Lord Charles I of Monaco sent an corps of crossbowmen to join the forces of the King of France and later, when the English followed up the victory with a siege against Calais the fleet of the Lord of Monaco was on hand there as well.

Princess Mary Victoria of Monaco

She was born Lady Maria Victoria Douglas-Hamilton on December 11, 1850 to the 11th Duke of Hamilton and Princess Marie Amelie of Baden. When the Grimaldis began looking for a suitably high-born wife for the heir to the throne, Hereditary Prince Albert, they were steered toward the young Lady Hamilton who was a third cousin of the French Emperor Napoleon III and first cousin to Queen Carola of Saxony, Queen Stephanie of Portugal, King Carol I of Romania

and Countess Marie of Flanders; mother of the future Belgian King Albert I. Princess Maria Caroline of Monaco, Albert's grandmother, was the driving force behind the "project" and she had earlier tried to arrange a marriage with Princess Mary of Cambridge but the formidable Queen Victoria was not about to let that happen. Emperor Napoleon III advised the Princess to lower her sights a tad and he helped arrange the match with Lady Hamilton. She and Prince Albert first met at one of the Emperor's parties in 1869.

The couple married soon after and within the year the 19-year-old Scottish Princess of Monaco had given birth to a son, named Louis, who would one day inherit the Monegasque throne. However, Princess Mary Victoria was not happy with her husband, she was not happy with Monaco and generally not happy about much. Even before she had given birth to Louis (July of 1870) she had announced in January that she was leaving Monaco and separating from Prince Albert and no one could persuade her otherwise. When she left she took young Louis with her and, a few years later, when Prince Albert tried to get the boy back it led to legal strife between the former couple. In 1878 the Princess began to seek an annulment from Rome. She claimed that her mother had forced her into the marriage.

Since the product of the union was to inherit the throne of Monaco the investigation into the validity of the marriage took on a special importance and the Pope appointed a special commission to handle the matter. The two sides squared off as the Princess argued that the marriage was invalid and should be dissolved while Prince Albert argued the contrary. Tongues wagged when the marriage was declared invalid and the Pope refused to confirm the ruling until it could be looked into further. The Pope ordered a new commission to retry the case and the next time Prince Albert was much more involved in trying to defend the validity of his marriage. However, the ultimate result was the same and the marriage was annulled on January 3, 1880 by the Church with the provision that Prince Louis remained legitimate and able to inherit the throne one day. HSH Prince Charles III declared the marriage dissolved in the civil law of Monaco on July 28.

That came none too soon as on June 2, 1880 the Lady Hamilton married her second husband, Count Tassilo Festetics von Tolna. They had four children and lived well enough until the former Princess of Monaco passed away on May 14, 1922 in Budapest, Hungary.

Alexandre's Birthday

Alexandre Coste, first natural son of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco celebrates his 6th birthday today. I will admit, I was not thrilled when first hearing of his arrival, given the circumstances, and I still think it was atrocious that it was plastered all over the press when it was, but none of that is little Alexandre's fault and The Mad Monarchist wishes him a happy birthday. Just beware of fansites that call him a "Prince of Monaco" -that is certainly not the case.

Filmmaker Chosen for Princess Grace Award

August 22, 2009, Greencastle, Ind. — Chinonye O. Chukwu, a 2007 graduate of DePauw University who is an M.F.A. candidate at Temple University, is a recipient of a 2009 Princess Grace Award. Presented by the Royal Family of Monaco, the Princess Grace Foundation-USA honors six student filmmakers in the nation. Chukwu will receive $24,000 to produce her next film, Chidinma and Buchi, which will be shot in her native country of Nigeria late this year.

Chukwu and the other honorees will also be feted at the annual black-tie Princess Grace Awards Gala, held in the presence of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, on October 21 in New York City.
Chidinma and Buchi is "a story about two feuding cousins (who) discover a unique way of bridging the cultural differences and communication barriers between them," notes the foundation's Web site.

Chinonye's most recently completed film, Igbo Kwenu!, received a PIFVA Subsidy Grant from the independent film community and was honored with both the "Best Motion Picture Award" and "Best Screenplay Award" at the 2009 Diamond Screen Festival.

National in scope, the Princess Grace Foundation-USA is dedicated to identifying and assisting emerging talent in theater, dance, and film by awarding grants in the form of scholarships, apprenticeships, and fellowships. Working in conjunction with nominating schools and non-profit companies, the Princess Grace Awards recognize the talent of individual artists in theater, dance, and film. Princess Grace of Monaco, known to millions of movie lovers as Grace Kelly, died in 1982.

Visit the foundation online.

Rainier I, Lord of Monaco

Rainier I of Monaco, although not much remembered today, was quite the legend in his own lifetime, known for his daring exploits on land and sea as well as becoming the first Grimaldi sovereign of modern-day Monaco. The Grimaldi family had long been famous for their seafaring adventures. A Grimaldi had led the fleet that brought the kings of Jerusalem and Hungary to Egypt in the Fifth Crusade. Rainier was to earn much of his own swashbuckling reputation afloat as well. Rainier was born in 1267, the eldest of three sons of Lanfranco Grimaldi, French Vicar of Provence and the son of the Consul of Genoa Grimaldo Grimaldi, and Aurelia del Carretto who later married her nephew by that last marriage Francois Grimaldi. As he grew older he became a skilled naval leader in the service of King Charles II of Anjou in 1296 and the success of his galleys was so skillful that he gained a reputation throughout the Mediterranean for his dash and daring.

The following year, in 1297, Rainier went along with his stepfather and a group of armed men in taking the castle on the Rock of Monaco. This was the famous founding of Grimaldi rule over the area of modern Monaco. The men, led by Francois Grimaldi, disguised themselves as monks, concealing their sword under their long, brown robes. Requesting shelter from the Ghibellines who held the castle they were admitted and quickly sprung upon the guards, killing them and opening the way for the rest of their forces which quickly stormed in and took the castle. This was part of a long standing feud amongst the states of Italy between the Guelph and Ghibelline factions. It started out of a conflict between the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor over who had final authority, over religious matters in particular. The Ghibellines supported the Emperor whereas the Guelphs (such as the Grimaldis) supported the Pope. The Guelph Grimaldis had been driven from Genoa by a Ghibelline victory but in 1297, in Monaco at least, they had gained the upper hand and Rainier became Lord Rainier I of Monaco.

In those days King Philippe IV of France embarked on a grand and ambitious campaign against the old enemy of England. Some might think that the Continental Blockade was the invention of Napoleon, but in fact it was a revival of the policy of Philippe IV who endeavored to forge alliances across the continent from the Baltic to Sicily to shut out English goods, turn back English merchants and hopefully leave an economically isolated England to wither on the vine. To a large extent the policy worked but the English monarch, the fierce King Edward I, was no man to trifle with and he found the weak point in the French plan which was Flanders. The policy of isolating England had effected them as well and Edward made an alliance with Count Guy of Flanders to monopolize trade between England and the continent. This quickly made other ports, especially French ports like Calais, see their profits dry up.

Another result was that the increasingly wealthy merchants were rapidly becoming power rivals for the old nobility, especially in Flanders. Philippe IV backed the lords while Edward I tended to sympathize with the merchant democrats. When the situation came to blows in 1302 the aristocrats suffered a bloody defeat and Philippe IV was obliged to go looking for help. Remembering the service he had given to Charles of Anjou and Sicily, Philippe turned to Rainier Grimaldi. An arrangement was made and soon Rainier was off the French coast with 16 armed galleys to which the King added 20 of his own though they were less well built and not as expertly manned as Rainier’s veteran craft. Rainier began training the French sailors and preparing them for battle with the English who did not have quite the same reputation for naval excellence that they would gain later. Their Dutch and Flemish allies, however, had a superb naval reputation.

The confrontation came in August of 1304 at the battle of Zierikzee. Despite being outmatched by the enemy fleet the superior training and seamanship of Rainier and his forces won the day and he earned a great victory for France even capturing the Flemish admiral Guy de Dampierre. In gratitude King Philippe IV appointed Rainier to the rank of Admiral-General of France and granted him the title to Villeneuve in Normandy. A period of peace ensued broken only by the occasional skirmish while in the Mediterranean the feud between the Guelph and Ghibelline factions went on with first one side gaining the upper hand and then the other. In 1309 Rainier established a fortified base today known as Chateau Grimaldi. This was in the town of Cagnes and thereafter Rainier was titled Lord of Cagnes. Rainier had been married twice. His first marriage was to Salvatica, the daughter of the Margrave of Final Giacomo del Carretto. By her he had four children; Charles I, Vinci Guerra (who later married Constancia Ruffa), Salvaggia (who later married Gabriel Vento) and Luca, Lord of Villefranche. Rainier’s second marriage was to Andriola Grillo but they had no children. When Admiral Rainier died in 1314 the leadership of the Grimaldi clan passed to his son, Lord Charles I.

Charlotte Casiraghi's First Interview

I didn't post this when it happened, but I thought I might now just to make this point that this did NOT just happen. Some papers are reporting that this interview happened just this last week. I saw it when it first happened and it was last month. You can go to Youtube and check the date it was uploaded. Anyway, it's Charlotte's first formal interview, the first time many of her fans have actually heard her voice. So here it is.

MM Video: Classic Monaco