Jacques I (Jacques François Léonor Goyon de Grimaldi; 21 November 1689 – 23 April 1751) 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 1731 to 1733. He was also Duke of Valentinois from 1716 until 1733, and

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

of Thorigny. For ten months preceding his regency, he had served as prince consort to his wife, Princess Louise Hippolyte.

Life and reign

Jacques came from an ancient Norman family. "Thorigny" is now called Torigni-sur-Vire, where the ''

Mairie In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

'' is the former family chateau, the Château des Matignon. 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 Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

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 beco ...

'' Comte de Thorigny, and Charlotte Goyon de Matignon, Comtesse de Thorigny ''

suo jure ''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...

''. When Antonio I of Monaco 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 LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

, 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 Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

, carried out during the

Regency In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

Philippe II, Duke of Orléans Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (Philippe Charles; 2 August 1674 – 2 December 1723), who was known as the Regent, was a French prince, soldier, and statesman who served as Regent of the Kingdom of France from 1715 to 1723. He is referred to i ...

. The marriage wasn't very happy. Jacques preferred to stay more in

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

, 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 In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

for his wife from 21 February 1731 to her death. At the end of 1731, Louise Hippolyte died of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

. Jacques I neglected the affairs of state and, under pressure from the population, had to leave the country in May 1732. Jacques abdicated in favor of his son Honoré on November 7, 1733. He spent the last years of his life in Versailles and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. It was at Versailles that Louise-Françoise de Bourbon-Maine, a grand daughter of

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

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) the marriage never materialised and the prince never married again. His Paris residence was named after him

Hôtel Matignon The Hôtel 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. The name Matignon is often used as a metonym for the governmental action of the French p ...

and is today the official residence of the

Prime Minister of France The prime minister of France (), officially the prime minister of the French Republic (''Premier ministre de la République française''), is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of its Council of Ministers. The prime ...

. Prior to his death, he was a frequent visitor to

with his son.

Issue

#Antoine Charles Marie (16 December 1717 – 4 February 1718), " Marquis des Baux Count of Matignon", died in infancy. # Charlotte Thérèse Nathalie (19 March 1719 – 1790), nun at the Convent of Visitation in

. # 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", died unmarried and without issue. #Jacques (9 June 1723 – 10 June 1723) died in infancy. #Louise Françoise (15 July 1724 – 15 September 1729), ''Mademoiselle des Baux'', died in childhood. #François Charles (4 February 1726 – 9 December 1743), "Count of Thorigny", died unmarried without issue. #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'', died unmarried and without issue.

Ancestry

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Jacques 01 Of Monaco, Prince 1689 births 1751 deaths 18th-century princes of Monaco Peers created by Louis XV 18th-century regents People from the Province of Normandy House of Grimaldi Monarchs who abdicated Monegasque princes Regents of Monaco Dukes of Valentinois Counts of France