Ercole (24 September 1562 – 29 November 1604) was

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ar ...

of Monaco from 17 May 1589 until his death on 29 November 1604 aged 42. Ercole was the youngest of four sons of Honoré I (1522–1581) and

Isabella Grimaldi Isabella Grimaldi (15?? – 1583), was Lady of Monaco by marriage to Honoré I, Lord of Monaco. Isabella was the daughter of Giovanni Battista Grimaldi, Lord of Montaudion, and Maddalena Pallavicini. She was the niece of Etienne (Stephen) Gr ...

. His eldest brother Charles II became

of Monaco on the death of their father in 1581. Ercole's two elder brothers Francois (1557–1586) and Horace (1558–1559) died in childhood, thus leaving Ercole as heir to his brother Charles II, who died without issue in 1589 at the age of 34. Ercole was 27 years old. He married

Maria Landi Maria Landi (15?? – 19 January 1599), was a Lady consort of Monaco by marriage to Ercole Grimaldi, Lord of Monaco. Life Maria was a daughter of Claudio Landi, Prince of Val di Taro, and Juana Fernández de Córdoba y Milá de Aragón. ...

on 15 September 1595; the marriage produced three children; *Giovanna Maria Grimaldi (29 September 1596 – December 1620), married

Gian Giacomo Teodoro Trivulzio Giovanni (Gian) Giacomo Teodoro Trivulzio (1597 – 3 August 1656) was an Italian Cardinal who held several high functions in service of the Spanish Crown. Trivulzio was born and died in Milan, Duchy of Milan. He was the son of Carlo Emanuele ...

, Conte di Melzo, Principe di Musocco. * Honoré II (

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

, 24 December 1597 –

, 10 January 1662) married

Ippolita Trivulzio Ippolita Trivulzio (1600 – 20 June 1638) was the Princess of Monaco by marriage to Honoré II of Monaco, and was the first Monegasque consort to bear the title of ''Princess''. Biography Ippolita was the only daughter of Carlo Emanuele Teo ...

. *Maria Claudia Grimaldi, Carmelite nun in

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

(1 January 1599 – 1668). Ercole was murdered in 1604 and his six-year-old son

Honoré Honoré is a name of French origin and may refer to several people or places: Given name Sovereigns of Monaco Lords of Monaco * Honoré I of Monaco Princes of Monaco * Honoré II of Monaco * Honoré III of Monaco * Honoré IV of Monaco * Honor� ...

became

of Monaco under the regency of Ercole's brother-in-law, Frederico Landi, 4th Prince of

Val di Taro The Val di Taro is the valley of the Taro river, a tributary of the Po. The valley lies almost entirely in the Province of Parma, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Geography The Val di Taro is approximately 126 km long, and runs f ...

. Honoré was the first Lord of Monaco to be called

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 ...

References

1562 births 1604 deaths 16th-century Lords of Monaco 17th-century Lords of Monaco Burials at the Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate House of Grimaldi Lords of Monaco Assassinated Monegasque people People murdered in Monaco People of Ligurian descent {{Monaco-bio-stub