Jacques I (Jacques François Léonor Goyon de Matignon Grimaldi; 21 November 1689 – 23 April 1751) was Prince of Monaco from 1731 to 1733. He was also

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 ...

from 1716 until 1733, and Count of Thorigny.

Life and reign

Jacques came from an ancient

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

family. "Thorigny" is now called

Torigni-sur-Vire Torigni-sur-Vire (, literally ''Torigni on Vire'') is a former commune in the Manche department, Normandy, northwestern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Torigny-les-Villes.Mairie'' is the former family chateau. His uncle was

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

Charles Auguste de Goÿon de Matignon. He was a son of Jacques Goÿon de Matignon, ''

jure uxoris ''Jure uxoris'' (a Latin phrase meaning "by right of (his) wife"), citing . describes a title of nobility used by a man because his wife holds the office or title ''suo jure'' ("in her own right"). Similarly, the husband of an heiress could becom ...

Comte ''Comte'' is the French, Catalan and Occitan form of the word 'count' (Latin: ''comes''); ''comté'' is the Gallo-Romance form of the word 'county' (Latin: ''comitatus''). Comte or Comté may refer to: * A count in French, from Latin ''comes'' * A ...

de Thorigny, and Charlotte Goyon de Matignon, Comtesse de Thorigny '' suo jure''. When

Antonio I of Monaco Antonio I (25 January 1661 – 20 February 1731) was the sovereign Prince of Monaco from 1701 to 1731. He was the elder son of Louis I of Monaco and Catherine Charlotte de Gramont. In 1683, Antonio was named lieutenant in the Régiment du Roi ...

and his wife Marie de Lorraine-Armagnac were looking for a consort for their daughter and heir Louise Hippolyte of Monaco, the family proposed him as a candidate. His candidacy was supported by King Louis XIV of France, who wanted to solidify French influence in Monaco. Jacques and Louise Hippolyte married on 20 October 1715 and had nine children. The wedding ceremony was the first official act that the five-year-old king, Louis XV, carried out during the Regency of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans. The marriage wasn't very happy. Jacques preferred to stay more in Versailles, where he had several mistresses, than in Monaco. After the death of Antonio I of Monaco, Louise Hippolyte traveled from Paris to Monaco on 4 April 1731 and received an enthusiastic reception by the population. When Jacques joined her several times later, the reception was much colder. Jacques served as regent for his wife from 21 February 1731 to her death. At the end of 1731, Louise Hippolyte died of smallpox. Jacques I neglected the affairs of state and, under pressure from the population, had to leave the country in May 1732. He abdicated in favor of his 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� ...

the next year. He spent the last years of his life in Versailles and Paris. It was at Versailles that Louise-Françoise de Bourbon-Maine, a grand daughter of Louis XIV and his mistress, Madame de Montespan, was proposed as a wife for the widowed prince; despite having a large dowry, (she was the daughter of the Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine and his wife,

Anne Louise Bénédicte de Bourbon Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

) the marriage never materialised and the prince never married again. His Paris residence was named after him Hôtel Matignon and is today the official residence of the

Prime Minister of France The prime minister of France (french: link=no, Premier ministre français), officially the prime minister of the French Republic, is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of the Council of Ministers. The prime minister ...

. Prior to his death, he was a frequent visitor to Versailles with his son.

Issue

#Antoine Charles Marie (16 December 1717 – 4 February 1718), " Marquis des Baux Comte de Matignon". # Charlotte Thérèse Nathalie (19 March 1719 – 1790), nun at the Convent of Visitation in Paris. # Honoré III Camille Léonor (10 November 1720 – 21 March 1795), successor of his father. #Charles Marie Auguste (1 January 1722 – 24 August 1749), "Count of Carladés". #Jacques (9 June 1723 – June 1723). #Louise Françoise (15 July 1724 – 15 September 1729), ''Mademoiselle des Baux''. #François Charles (4 February 1726 – 9 December 1743), "Comte de Thorigny". #Charles Maurice (14 May 1727 – 18 January 1798), ''Count of Valentinois''; married on 10 November 1749 to Marie Chrétienne de Rouvroy; no issue. #Marie Françoise Anne Thérése (20 July 1728 – 20 June 1743), ''Mademoiselle d'Estouteville''.

References

1689 births 1751 deaths 18th-century Princes of Monaco Peers created by Louis XV 18th-century viceregal rulers People from Manche House of Grimaldi Princes of Monaco Monarchs who abdicated Monegasque princes Regents of Monaco Dukes of France Dukes of Valentinois Counts of France {{Monaco-bio-stub