The House of Grimaldi ( , also , , ) is the current reigning house of the

Principality of 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 Liguria ...

. The house was founded in 1160 by

Grimaldo Canella Grimaldo Canella (d. ''c.'' 1184) was the youngest son of Otto Canella and Consul of Genoa in 1162, 1170, and 1184. Grimaldo is considered the progenitor and eponym of the House of Grimaldi. Origins Canella was probably born in Genoa around 1 ...

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

and became the ruling house of Monaco when Francesco Grimaldi captured Monaco in 1297. The House of Grimaldi has produced every

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 ...

. During much of the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for ...

, the family resided in the French court, where from 1642 to 1715 they used the title of

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 ...

. The current head of the house is Albert II of Monaco, Sovereign Prince of Monaco, who is the son and successor of Prince

Rainier III Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005) was Prince of Monaco from 1949 to his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest-ruling ...

and the Princess consort Grace of Monaco, formerly known as

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. Kelly ...

Beginnings in Genoa

The Grimaldis descend from Grimaldo, a Genoese consul who lived during the time of the early

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...

. He may have been a son of

Otto Canella Otto Canella (born in the middle of the 11th century, died in 1143) was Consul of the Republic of Genoa in 1133, and an ancestor of the House of Grimaldi, the family that currently rules Monaco. According to the 19th-century historian Gustave S ...

, an earlier

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

of the

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( lij, Repúbrica de Zêna ; it, Repubblica di Genova; la, Res Publica Ianuensis) was a medieval and early modern maritime republic from the 11th century to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast. During the La ...

. His numerous descendants led

maritime Maritime may refer to: Geography * Maritime Alps, a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps * Maritime Region, a region in Togo * Maritime Southeast Asia * The Maritimes, the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prin ...

expeditions throughout the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

, the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...

, and the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...

. They quickly became one of the most powerful families of Genoa. The Grimaldis feared that the head of a rival Genoese family could break the fragile balance of power in a '' coup'' and become lord of Genoa, as had happened in other Italian cities. They entered into a Guelphic alliance with the

Fieschi The Fieschi were a noble merchant family from Genoa, Italy, from whom descend the Fieschi Ravaschieri Princes of Belmonte. Of ancient origin, they took their name from the progenitor ''Ugo Fliscus'', descendants of the counts of Lavagna. The fam ...

family. In 1271, the Guelphs were banned from Genoa, and the Grimaldi took refuge in their castles in

Liguria it, Ligure , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

and

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

. They signed a treaty with

Charles of Anjou Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou, was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the second House of Anjou. He was Count of Provence (1246–85) and Forcalquier (1246–48, 1256–85) ...

, King of Sicily and

Count of Provence The land of Provence has a history quite separate from that of any of the larger nations of Europe. Its independent existence has its origins in the frontier nature of the dukedom in Merovingian Gaul. In this position, influenced and affected by ...

to retake control of Genoa. In 1276, they accepted a peace under the

auspices Augury is the practice from ancient Roman religion of interpreting omens from the observed behavior of birds. When the individual, known as the augur, interpreted these signs, it is referred to as "taking the auspices". "Auspices" (Latin '' ...

of the Pope, but the civil war continued. Not all the Grimaldis chose to return to Genoa and settled in their

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...

doms, where they could raise armies. In 1299, the Grimaldis and their allies launched a few galleys to attack the port of Genoa before taking refuge on the Western

Riviera ''Riviera'' () is an Italian word which means "coastline", ultimately derived from Latin , through Ligurian . It came to be applied as a proper name to the coast of Liguria, in the form ''Riviera ligure'', then shortened in English. The two areas ...

. During the following years, the Grimaldis entered into different alliances that would allow them to return to power in Genoa. This time, it was the turn of their rivals, the

Spinola family The House of Spinola, or Spinola family, was a leading Italian political family centered in the Republic of Genoa. Their influence was at its greatest extent in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Important members Guido Spinola was one o ...

, to be exiled from the city. During this period, both the Guelphs and Ghibellines took and abandoned the castle of Monaco, which was ideally located to launch political and military operations against Genoa. Therefore, the tale of Francis Grimaldi and his faction – who took the castle of Monaco disguised as

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ...

s in 1297 – is largely anecdotal. In the early 14th century, the Aragonese raided the shores of Provence and Liguria, challenging Genoa and King Robert of Provence. In 1353, the combined fleet of eighty Venetian and Aragonese galleys gathered in

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

to meet the fleet of sixty galleys under the command of Anthony Grimaldi. Only nineteen Genoese vessels survived the battle. Fearing an invasion, Genoa requested the protection of the

Lord of Milan The following is a list of rulers of Milan from the 13th century to 1814, after which it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia by the Congress of Vienna. Before elevation to duchy Until 1259, Milan was a free commune that ele ...

. Several of the oldest feudal branches of the House of Grimaldi appeared during these conflicts, such as the branches of Antibes,

Beuil Beuil (; oc, Buelh; it, Boglio) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. Geography Beuil is a village located in the Maritime Alps, away from Nice. It is the gateway to the Mercantour National Park. A stop-of ...

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...

, Puget, and

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. In 1395, the Grimaldis took advantage of the discords in Genoa to take possession of Monaco, which they then ruled as a condominium. This is the origin of today's principality. As was customary in Genoa, the Grimaldis organised their family ties within a corporation called . In the political reform of 1528, the Grimaldi became one of the 28 of the Republic of Genoa, which included the

Doria Doria or Dória may refer to: People Surname * Doria (family), a prominent Genoese family ** Andrea Doria (1466–1560), Genoese admiral ** Ansaldo Doria, 12th century Genoese statesman and commander ** Brancaleone Doria (died c. 1409?), husband ...

and

Pallavicini The House of Pallavicini, also known as Pallavicino and formerly known as Pelavicino, is an ancient Italian noble family founded by Oberto II ''Pelavicino'' of the Frankish Obertenghi family. The Pallavicini of Genoa The first recorded member o ...

families, and to which other families were formally invited to join. The House of Grimaldi provided several doges,

cardinals Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

, cabinet ministers, and

military officers An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

of historical note.

French influences

became a part of the Kingdom of France from 1486, and occasionally the Grimaldi relied upon French support to preserve their independence from the Republic of Genoa and the Duchy of Savoy. In the process they married into the

French nobility The French nobility (french: la noblesse française) was a privileged social class in France from the Middle Ages until its abolition on June 23, 1790 during the French Revolution. From 1808 to 1815 during the First Empire the Emperor Napol ...

in the 1600s, inherited French estates, and often lived in Paris, latterly at the

Hôtel Matignon The Hôtel Matignon or Hôtel de Matignon () is the official residence of the Prime Minister of France. It is located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, at 57 Rue de Varenne. "Matignon" is often used as a metonym for the governmental action o ...

, until the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

of 1789. Monaco and the neighbouring

County of Nice The County of Nice (french: Comté de Nice / Pays Niçois, it, Contea di Nizza/Paese Nizzardo, Niçard oc, Contèa de Niça/País Niçard) is a historical region of France located around the southeastern city of Nice and roughly equivalent t ...

was taken by the revolutionary army in 1792, and were French-controlled until 1815. Nice passed back to the

Kingdom of Sardinia The Kingdom of Sardinia,The name of the state was originally Latin: , or when the kingdom was still considered to include Corsica. In Italian it is , in French , in Sardinian , and in Piedmontese . also referred to as the Kingdom of Savoy-S ...

in 1815; then it was ceded to France by the

Treaty of Turin (1860) The Treaty of Turin ( it, Trattato di Torino; french: Traité de Turin) concluded between France and Piedmont-Sardinia on 24 March 1860 is the instrument by which the region of Savoy and the County of Nice were annexed to France, ending the cent ...

. Monaco was re-established by the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...

in 1815, with a brief Italian occupation in 1940–43.

Modern succession

By convention, sovereign European houses are

male primogeniture Primogeniture ( ) is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relativ ...

. Therefore, since 1731, it has been determined genealogically that it was in fact the French noble House of Goyon-Matignon that ruled as Princes of Monaco until 1949. However, one of the terms of James de Goyon de Matignon becoming Prince of Monaco '' jure uxoris'' was that he adopt the name and arms of Grimaldi so that the house would be preserved on the throne, and the right of succession was through his wife Louise-Hippolyte Grimaldi, who abdicated in her husband's favor. Similarly, when Charlotte Louvet was

legitimised Legitimation or legitimisation is the act of providing legitimacy. Legitimation in the social sciences refers to the process whereby an act, process, or ideology becomes legitimate by its attachment to norms and values within a given society. I ...

in 1911 and made successor to Monaco, her husband, Count Pierre de Polignac, adopted, as a condition of the marriage, the name and arms of Grimaldi, but from this moment all his direct descendants Grimaldi would also have the title of Counts of Polignac. In this way the "Grimaldi" name and arms were continued. Until 2002, a treaty between Monaco and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

stated that if the

reign A reign is the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation (e.g., Saudi Arabia, List of Belgian monarchs, Belgium, Co-prince of Andorra, Andorra), of a people (e.g., List of Frankish kings, the Franks, List of ...

ing Prince ever failed to leave

dynastic A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A d ...

offspring, then

sovereignty Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...

over the Grimaldi realm would revert to France. The 2002 agreement modified this to expand the pool of potential heirs to dynastic collaterals of the reigning Prince (excluding adoptive heirs, hitherto allowed, e.g. Princess Charlotte and her descendants), guaranteeing Monegasque independence. Article I of Monaco's

house law House law or House laws (''Hausgesetze'') are rules that govern a royal family or dynasty in matters of eligibility for succession to a throne, membership in a dynasty, exercise of a regency, or entitlement to dynastic rank, titles and styles. ...

requires that the reigning Prince or Princess bear the surname of Grimaldi. The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

of the House of Grimaldi is simply described as ''fusily argent and gules'', i.e., a red and white diamond pattern, with no further modifiers.

Main living members

* Albert II of Monaco, Sovereign Prince of Monaco, son and successor of

and

. * Charlène de Monaco, Princess Consort of Monaco. **

Jacques, Hereditary Prince of Monaco Jacques, Hereditary Prince of Monaco, Marquis of Baux (Jacques Honoré Rainier Grimaldi; born 10 December 2014), is the heir apparent to the Monegasque throne. He is the son of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene, and twin brother of Prin ...

, Marquis of Baux, Count of Polignac, son of Albert II and Charlène. **

Princess Gabriella, Countess of Carladès Princess Gabriella, Countess of Carladès (Gabriella Thérèse Marie Grimaldi; born 10 December 2014), is the daughter of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene. She is second in the line of succession to the Monegasque throne, behind her twin ...

, Mademoiselle of Polignac, daughter of Albert II and Charlène. * Caroline, Princess of Hanover, Mademoiselle of Polignac, older sister of Albert II and Stéphanie. **

Andrea Casiraghi Andrea Albert Pierre Casiraghi (born 8 June 1984) is the elder son of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and her second husband Stefano Casiraghi. He is the eldest grandchild of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and American actress Grace Kelly. Casir ...

Charlotte Casiraghi Charlotte Marie Pomeline Casiraghi (born 3 August 1986) is a Monégasque model, socialite, writer, editor, equestrian, journalist, film producer, and humanitarian. She is the second child and only daughter of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and S ...

, and

Pierre Casiraghi Pierre Rainier Stefano Casiraghi (born 5 September 1987) is the younger son and youngest of three children of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and her second husband, Stefano Casiraghi. He is the maternal-line grandson of Rainier III, Prince o ...

, children of Caroline and her late husband, Stefano Casiraghi. ** Princess Alexandra of Hanover, daughter of Caroline and her present husband, Ernst August, Prince of Hanover. *

Princess Stéphanie of Monaco Princess Stephanie Marie Elisabeth of Monaco (born 1 February 1965) is the youngest child of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and American actress Grace Kelly. She is the younger sister of Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and Caroline, Princess of Han ...

, Mademoiselle of Polignac, younger sister of Albert II and Caroline. ** Louis Robert Paul Ducruet, Pauline Grace Maguy Ducruet, and Camille Marie Kelly Gottlieb, children of Stéphanie. *

Christian Louis de Massy Baron Christian Louis de Massy (born 17 January 1949) is the son of Princess Antoinette of Monaco, Baroness de Massy, and her husband, international tennis champion Alexandre-Athenase Noghès. His grandfather, Antony Noghès, created the world ...

, cousin of Albert II. Married four times and with offspring.

Family tree

Select list of Grimaldis

Albert II Prince of Monaco Senate of Poland 02

, consul of the

, founder of this House *

Hubert Grimaldi Hubert is a Germanic masculine given name, from ''hug'' "mind" and ''beraht'' "bright". It also occurs as a surname. Saint Hubertus or Hubert (c. 656 – 30 May 727) is the patron saint of hunters, mathematicians, opticians, and metalworkers. ...

, first to bear the Grimaldi patronymic name * Luca Grimaldi, troubadour and podestà of Milan and Ventimiglia * Rainier I, lord of Cagnes, admiral of France *

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

, lord of Monaco, Cagnes, and Menton *

Anthony Anthony or Antony is a masculine given name, derived from the '' Antonii'', a ''gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descendants of Anton, ...

, lord of Monaco, admiral of Genoa * Luc and Marc Grimaldi of Antibes, lords of Menton, Cagnes, and Antibes * Lamberto Grimaldi and Claudia Grimaldi of Monaco, Claudia of Monaco * Augustin Grimaldi of Monaco, Augustin, archbishop * Nicolas Grimaldi, Prince of Salerno, Nicolas, prince of Salerno * Louis I Grimaldi of Monaco, Louis I, prince of Monaco, ambassador of Louis IV * Girolamo Grimaldi (d. 1543), Girolamo (died 1543). Created a Cardinal in 1527. He married Francisca Cattaneo of Genoese and had five children. After her death he entered holy orders. He was a Senator of Genoa. * Domenico Grimaldi, Domenico, Archbishop of Avignon and uncle of Girolamo Grimaldi-Cavalleroni (see below) * Girolamo Grimaldi-Cavalleroni, Girolamo (1597–1683). Cardinal and Archbishop of Aix * Elena Grimaldi, painted by Anthony van Dyck * Girolamo Grimaldi (d. 1733), Girolamo (1674–1733). Created a Cardinal 1731 * Alexander Grimaldi, Doge of Genoa, Alexander, doge of Genoa * John Baptist Grimaldi, Doge of Genoa, John Baptist, doge of Genoa * Peter Francis Grimaldi, Doge of Genoa, Peter Francis, doge of Genoa * Honoré II, Prince of Monaco (1597–1662) * Jacques François Leonor Grimaldi. Prince of Monaco and father of Honoré III, Prince of Monaco * Nicola Grimaldi, Nicola (1645–1717). Created cardinal deacon in the consistory of 17 May 1706 * Jerónimo Grimaldi, 1st Duke of Grimaldi (1710-1789) * Louise-Hippolyte, Princess of Monaco - mother of Honoré III, Prince of Monaco * Honoré III, Prince of Monaco (1720–1795) * Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco (1758–1819) * Honoré V, Prince of Monaco (1778–1841) * Florestan I, Prince of Monaco (1785–1856) * Charles III, Prince of Monaco (1818–1889) * Albert I, Prince of Monaco (1848–1922) * Louis II, Prince of Monaco (1870–1949) * Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois (1898–1977) * Pierre de Polignac, Prince Pierre, Count of Polignac (1895–1964) * Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (1923–2005) * Princess Antoinette, Baroness of Massy (1920–2011) * Caroline, Princess of Hanover, Caroline Louise Marguerite Grimaldi (born 1957) * Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958) * Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, Stéphanie Marie Elisabeth Grimaldi (born 1965) *

(born 2014) *

(born 2014)

References and further reading

* Edwards, Anne. ''The Grimaldis of Monaco''. William Morrow, 1992. * Maclaga, Michael and Louda, Jiri. ''LINES OF SUCCESSION''; Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe. MacDonald & Co., 1981; Little, Brown & Co., 1999; Time Warner Books, UK, 2002 * Maurizio Ulino, ''L'Età Barocca dei Grimaldi di Monaco nel loro Marchesato di Campagna'', Giannini editore, Napoli 2008.

External links

Grimaldi family tree

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grimaldi, House of House of Grimaldi, History of Monaco Republic of Genoa families Italian noble families Roman Catholic families Lists of Monegasque people Monegasque families