Rainier I of Monaco (1267–1314) was the first sovereign Grimaldi ruler of the area now known as

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 ...

. He also held the title of ''Lord of Cagnes''. Cagnes was the town where in 1309 he established a

stronghold A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, today known as the Château Grimaldi. Additionally, he was Baron of San Demetrio (

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...

). He was the eldest of the three sons of Lanfranco Grimaldi, French

Vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

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 ...

, by his wife, Aurelia del Carretto (who later remarried her husband's cousin,

François Grimaldi Francesco Grimaldi (french: François, italics=no; eng, Francis, italics=no), called (from Italian: "''the malicious''"), was the Genoese leader of the Guelphs who captured the Rock of Monaco on the night of 8 January 1297. He was the son of ...

). In 1297, Rainier joined his stepfather (François) and a group of men to take the castle on the

Rock of Monaco The Rock of Monaco (french: Rocher de Monaco) is a tall monolith on the Mediterranean coast of the Principality of Monaco. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea and the Port Hercules. History The Rock has been a coveted possession from the beginn ...

; the event is commemorated on the Monegasque coat of arms, where the supporters are two monks armed with swords (because François dressed as monk and opened the gates of Monaco's castle). Rainier held the citadel of Monaco for four years before departing on April 10, 1301. In 1304, he was appointed

Admiral of France Admiral of France (french: Amiral de France) is a French title of honour. It is the naval equivalent of Marshal of France and was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France. History The title was created in 1270 by Louis IX of France, du ...

after winning the

Battle of Zierikzee The battle of Zierikzee was a naval battle between a Flemish fleet and an allied Franco-Hollandic fleet which took place on 10 and 11 August 1304. The battle, fought near the town of Zierikzee, ended in a Franco-Dutch victory. The battle is part of ...

. He married twice: firstly, Salvatica del Carretto, daughter of Giacomo del Carretto, Margrave of Finale. They had four children: *

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 ...

, his successor. *Vinciguerra, who married Costanza Ruffa. *Salvaggia, who married Gabriele Vento. *Luca, Lord of Villefranche; married firstly Tedise, daughter of Daniel Cybo, and secondly Caterina Caracciolo. Secondly, Rainier I married Andriola Grillo. This marriage was childless.

References

*Françoise de Bernardy, ''Princes of Monaco: the remarkable history of the Grimaldi family'', ed. Barker, 1961. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rainier 01 Of Monaco, Lord Of Cagnes 1267 births 1314 deaths 13th-century rulers of Monaco 14th-century rulers of Monaco House of Grimaldi Admirals of France