Antonio I (25 January 1661 – 20 February 1731) was the sovereign

Prince of Monaco The sovereign prince (french: prince de Monaco) is the monarch and head of state of the Principality of Monaco. All reigning princes have taken the name of the House of Grimaldi, although some have belonged to other families (Goyon de Matignon or ...

from 1701 to 1731. He was the elder son of Louis I of Monaco and

Catherine Charlotte de Gramont Catherine Charlotte de Gramont (1639 – 4 June 1678) was the Princess of Monaco by marriage to Louis I of Monaco. She is known to have been a mistress of Louis XIV of France in 1666. Life Early life Catherine Charlotte de Gramont was th ...

. In 1683, Antonio was named lieutenant in the Régiment du Roi Infanterie. In 1684, he was named colonel of the regiment of Soissonois. During the

Nine Years War The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...

he was present at the Battle of

Philippsburg Philippsburg () is a town in the district of Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. History Before 1632, Philippsburg was known as "Udenheim". The city was a possession of the Bishop of Speyer from 1371–1718. The town is named after ...

(1688), the

Battle of Fleurus (1690) The Battle of Fleurus, fought on 1 July 1690, was a major engagement of the Nine Years' War. In a bold and masterful envelopment, Marshal Luxembourg, commanding a French army of some 35,000 men, inflicted a severe defeat on Prince Waldeck’ ...

, the

Siege of Mons (1691) The siege of Mons, 15 March–10 April 1691, was a major operation fought during the Nine Years' War, and was the main French objective for the 1691 campaign in the Spanish Netherlands. The city was besieged and captured before the normal commence ...

, and the

Siege of Namur (1692) The siege of Namur, 25 May–30 June 1692, was a major engagement of the Nine Years' War, and was part of the French grand plan (devised over the winter of 1691–92) to defeat the forces of the Grand Alliance and bring a swift conclusion to the ...

. On 21 August 1702, Antonio took the oath to King

Louis XIV of France , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of ...

in the Parlement on account of being

Duke of Valentinois Duke of Valentinois (french: Duc de Valentinois; it, Duca Valentino) is a title of nobility, originally in the French peerage. It is currently one of the many hereditary titles claimed by the Prince of Monaco despite its extinction in French law ...

and a Peer of France. He was made a knight of the French royal orders in 1724. He "completed the fortifications of the Rock of Monaco, constructed the Oreillon and the Fort Antoine." Finally, he formed a "brilliant Court in his palace." He constructed the ''Rampe Major'' in 1714; this was an improved road connecting

La Condamine La Condamine ( lij, A Cundamina ) is the central ward in the Principality of Monaco. Its landmarks include Port Hercules, the Rainier III Nautical Stadium, and the Princess Antoinette Park. Its farmer's market at the ''Place d'Armes'' dates fro ...

to the "platform of the peninsula." The Oreillon tower commanding the ramp leading to the

Palais Princier The Prince's Palace of Monaco (French language, French: ''Palais princier de Monaco'') is the official residence of the Monarchy of Monaco, Sovereign Prince of Monaco. Built in 1191 as a Republic of Genoa, Genoese fortress, during its long and ...

was constructed between 1707-1708.

Marriage and children

Royal Monogram of Prince Antoine I of Monaco

Antonio married 13 June 1688 Marie de Lorraine, "''Mademoiselle d'Armagnac''" (12 August 1674 – 30 October 1724), daughter of

Louis, Count of Armagnac Louis of Lorraine (7 December 1641 – 13 June 1718) was the Count of Armagnac from his father's death in 1666. The '' Grand Squire of France'', he was a member of a cadet branch of the House of Guise, itself a cadet branch of the sovereign House ...

. They had six daughters, of whom only three survived infancy : *Caterina Charlotte (7 October 1691 – 18 June 1696), "''Mademoiselle de Monaco''". * Louise Hippolyte (10 November 1697 – 29 December 1731), successor of her father. *Elisabetta Charlotte (3 November 1698 – 25 August 1702), "''Mademoiselle de Valentinois''". *Margherita Camilla (1 May 1700 – 27 April 1758), "''Mademoiselle de Carlades''"; married on 16 April 1720 to Louis de Gand-Vilain, Prince of Isenghien and marshal of France. *Maria Devota (15 March 1702 – 24 October 1703), "''Mademoiselle des Baux''". *Maria Paolina Theresa Devota (23 October 1708 – 20 May 1726), "''Mademoiselle de Chabreuil'". Antonio also had a number of illegitimate children: *with Elisabeth Durfort (a dancer) ** Antoine Grimaldi (1697–1784), known as the ''Chevalier de Grimaldi'' *with Victoire Vertu (dancer at the Paris opera) **Antoinette Grimaldi, called ''mademoiselle de Saint-Rémy'' *with an unknown woman **Louise Marie Thérèse Grimaldi (1705–1723)

Ancestors

References

1661 births 1731 deaths 18th-century Princes of Monaco 18th-century peers of France House of Grimaldi Princes of Monaco Marquesses of Baux Monegasque princes Hereditary Princes of Monaco Burials at the Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate People of Ligurian descent Dukes of Valentinois {{Monaco-bio-stub

Marriage and children

Ancestors

Further reading

References