Honoré II (24 December 1597 – 10 January 1662) was

Prince of Monaco The sovereign prince () is the monarch and head of state of the Principality of Monaco. All reigning princes and princesses have taken the name of the House of Grimaldi. When Prince Rainier III died in 2005, he was Europe's longest reigning mo ...

from 1604 to 1662. He was the first to be called Prince (in 1612), but started his reign as Lord of Monaco.

Early life

Honoré II was born on 24 December 1597. He was the son of Hercule, Lord of Monaco (24 September 1562 – 21 November 1604) and Maria Landi. His father was murdered when he was six, and he succeeded under the regency of his uncle, Frederico Landi, 4th Prince of

Val di Taro The Val di Taro is the valley of the Taro (river), Taro river, a tributary of the Po river, 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&nb ...

. Landi was a loyal ally and friend of

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and allowed the country to be occupied by Spanish troops in 1605. The inhabitants of Monaco were prohibited to carry arms and the prince and his two sisters were moved to

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

. The ''Council of Monaco'' tried to limit Spanish power, but the occupation lasted until 1614, and a strong Spanish influence remained until 1633, when it recognized Honoré as a sovereign prince.

Adulthood

From adulthood, Honoré started to criticize Spain and turned to France for support.

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...

gave him the support he needed and this resulted in the Treaty of Péronne. This ended Spanish rule and put Monaco under French protection, recognizing and guaranteeing Monegasque sovereignty. As a consequence Honoré lost his Spanish and Italian possessions, but was compensated by King Louis XIII of France with the marquisate ''Les Baux'' and the title of

Duke of Valentinois Duke of Valentinois (; ) 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 in 1949. Though it originally indicated admin ...

. During his reign he did much to extend, rebuild and transform the Genoese fortress that was the Grimaldi's stronghold into what is today Monaco's Princely Palace.

Marriage and family

On 13 February 1616 he 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 Te ...

(d. 1638). The couple had one son. *

Ercole Grimaldi, Marquis of Baux Ercole Grimaldi, Marquis of Baux (16 December 1623 – 2 August 1651) was a member of the House of Grimaldi. He was the first Monegasque prince and heir apparent to the first Monegasque sovereign prince, Honoré II. Dying at the age of 27, Baux ...

(1623 – 2 August 1651); married on 4 July 1641 to Maria Aurelia Spinola (d. 29 September 1670) **

Louis Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also ...

(25 July 1642 – 3 January 1701) **Marie Hippolyte (8 May 1644 – 8 October 1694) **Jeanne Marie (b. 4 June 1645) **Thérèse Marie (4 September 1648 – 20 July 1723) ancestress of

Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina (29 June 1725 29 December 1790) was sovereign Duchess of Massa and Princess of Carrara from 1731 until her death in 1790. From 1780, she also formally held the title of Duchess consort of Modena and Reggio as the wi ...

After Hercules (Ercole, age 27) was killed in firearms accident, Louis became Honoré's heir at the age of 9.

Death and legacy

Honoré died on 10 January 1662. He was interred in the Cathedral of St. Nicholas (it stood on the location of the current cathedral) in

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

. A collector's silver coin has been issued by the Treasury of Monaco portraying Honoré II on the occasion of the 400th anniversary (1612 – 2012) of the use of the title "Sovereign Prince." The silver coin has a €10 face value.

Ancestors

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Honore 02 of Monaco, Prince 1597 births 1662 deaths 17th-century lords of Monaco 17th-century princes of Monaco House of Grimaldi Dukes of Valentinois Peers created by Louis XIII Knights of the Golden Fleece Child monarchs from Europe Burials at the Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate Monegasque princes People from Campagna