History History

Various archaeological excavations prove it: the Principality was already inhabited in prehistoric times, more than 300,000 years ago. Animal bones, which served as food for the prehistoric men who settled there, were found in a cave in the present-day Jardin Exotique. The Museum of Anthropology of Monaco exhibits some of these finds, which attest to the presence of Man in the Principality and on the French Riviera, where the mild climate already seemed to be attractive

If you were wondering where Monaco got its name, you should know that its origins lie in the Greek word "Monoikos", which means "to live alone". This is the name of the first people to settle on the Rock in the 6th century B.C. These sedentary people were Ligurians who had emigrated from Genoa in Italy. Worshippers of the demigod Hercules, they were driven out by the Romans in 122 BC

This domination lasted only a short time. In 476, the Western Roman Empire collapsed and the Saracens and other Germanic barbarian tribes took advantage of this to ravage the territory. Virtually depopulated, Monaco had to wait until 972 to see the Saracens expelled by the Count of Provence. In the 11th century, the Ligurians returned to Monaco. The city of Genoa was granted the sovereignty of Monaco by the Roman Emperor. 104 years later, the Ghibellines, supporters of the Emperor, began to build a fortress on the Rock of Monaco, a strategic location to counter their enemies, the Guelfs, supporters of the Pope

But the Ghibellines should have been wary. On the night of January 8-9, 1297, a Franciscan monk showed up with a companion at the gates of the fortress. The soldiers did not see the deception and discovered with amazement that the monk was armed. It was François Grimaldi, a Guelph, who took advantage of the general confusion to let his soldiers enter and take over the building. From that day on, François Grimaldi was nicknamed Malizia, the cunning one, and the coat of arms of Monaco represents two Franciscans armed with a sword

The victory was short-lived. Only four years after leading the assault, François Grimaldi and his cousin, Rainier I, were forced to leave the fortress, which the Ghibellines had just retaken. The Guelphs obtained an amnesty and Monaco came back under the control of Genoa. François having remained childless, it is the descendants of Rainier I who form the current Grimaldi dynasty

Rainier's son, Charles I, resumed the fight for the Rock. Fighting again against Genoa, he finally occupied the city in 1331, but was not recognized as Lord of Monaco until eleven years later. He died in battle in 1357, after a new assault by the Ghibellines to recover the Rock. Powerless, the Grimaldis capitulated. The Genoese occupation lasted thirty-eight years. The three grandsons of Charles, Ambroise, Antoine and Jean I, managed to recover the Rock and became lords in 1407. Roquebrune, Menton and Monaco then form a single territory. But nothing is yet won: Genoa continues to fight to reconquer the land. After the death of Jean I, his granddaughter, Claudine, had to keep the Grimaldi name alive, even though she was only six years old. A solution was found: the child would be married to her cousin, Lambert Grimaldi, Lord of Menton, aged 45. At only 14 years old, Claudine married him and Lambert obtained, in 1489, the recognition of the independence of Monaco by the King of France. After a last attempt in 1509, Genoa definitively renounced Monaco

Among the fourteen children born of the union between Claudine and Lambert, three in particular have marked the history of the Grimaldis: Jean II, Lucien and Augustin. Jean II undertook extensive work on the Palace. But he did not suspect that in the shadows, his younger brother Lucien nourished a real jealousy and coveted his throne. Jean is assassinated by his brother in the night of October 10, 1505. Lucien will never be condemned for this act but will know the same fate: he will be murdered by his nephew in 1523, Barthélémy Doria, member of a powerful Genoese family, enemy of the Grimaldis

Augustin became Lord of Monaco. As the king of France refused to arrest his brother's murderer, Augustin had to change his strategy... and his ally! He turned to Charles V, who mobilized 700 soldiers and put them at the disposal of the Lord of Monaco. But he also took advantage of this to place the Rock, the port and the Monegasque territory under Spanish protectorate. The Grimaldis, who had fought so hard for their independence, were now deprived of their authority

More than a century later, the Monegasque subjects united and declared that Monaco belonged to the Grimaldis. They mobilized and refused the annexation by the Republic of Genoa and the alliance with the King of France

Honoré II became Lord of Monaco in 1612. It is at this date that the Palace, the houses and the port constitute "a Principality". The Prince appears for the first time on the coins. But Monaco was still under protectorate, so Honoré II made it his mission to put an end to the Spanish domination. And what better ally against Spain than France?

Honoré II undertook secret negotiations with Cardinal Richelieu, then in the service of Louis XIII. The Cardinal is delighted, because he sees a great opportunity to weaken the Spaniards. The Prince of Monaco and the King of France signed the Treaty of Peronne in 1641, which stipulated that the King would grant protection to Monaco and guarantee its property and privileges. On the strength of this agreement, Honoré II drove out the Spanish invaders. Relations between the Kingdom and the Principality were considerably strengthened: Honoré's grandson was named Louis I. Monaco enjoyed the protection of the most powerful kingdom in Europe. The Princes succeeded one another and undertook extensive works, before this prosperous era came to an abrupt end in 1792, under Honoré III.

Monaco did not escape the anger that shook France at the end of the 18th century. In 1793, the Principality was integrated into French territory under the name of Fort Hercule. Honoré III was stripped of his title, his wealth was dispersed, plundered or sold. After 59 years of reign, he was judged guilty of high treason by the revolutionaries and sentenced to life imprisonment. His daughter-in-law, Marie-Thérèse de Choiseul, was sentenced to death. At first she pretended to be pregnant in order to delay the execution, but she was nevertheless guillotined at only 27 years old. The legend tells that before going to the scaffold, she would have cut her hand with a piece of glass, to put a little red on her cheeks, in order not to show the slightest sign of trouble to her executioners

It was not until 1814 that the eldest son of Honoré III, Honoré IV, benefited from the Princely restoration, thanks to the Treaty of Paris. But one year later, the Treaty of Vienna cancelled the Treaty of Paris and placed Monaco under the protection of the King of Sardinia. The second son of Honoré IV, Florestan I, ascended the throne. Under his reign, Monaco extended over 24km2, thanks to Roquebrune and Menton. But these two communes declared themselves "free cities" in 1848 and Monaco lost 80% of its land! Florestan's son, Charles III, succeeded him in 1856 and managed to re-establish the independence of Monaco in 1861

Charles III had to face a major challenge: with the loss of Menton and its citrus fruits, Monaco no longer had any economic resources. The solution came from a couple, straight from Germany: François and Marie Blanc

François sees in Monaco a golden opportunity. He knew the potential of gambling, which was forbidden in France.

Charles III therefore joined forces with François Blanc, who launched the construction of a casino in a sunny marine setting, intended for tourists. Not wanting to take the risk of seeing his population ruined by gambling, Charles III forbade it to Monegasques, a law still in force today. But for the tourists, no restrictions and the Société des Bains de Mer was created in 1863. The Blanc couple undertook extensive work: they took over the construction of the Hôtel de Paris, and built the Café Divan, known today as the Café de Paris. The Principality witnessed the birth of the sumptuous Monte-Carlo Opera House, built by Charles Garnier and inaugurated with great pomp and ceremony by the famous actress Sarah Bernhardt. This new upscale neighborhood was named "Mont-Charles": Monte-Carlo.

A new era began for the Principality, which had become extremely attractive. Tourists and foreign sovereigns all wanted to come to the Rock. Charles III initiated the creation of the Monegasque national anthem and the red and white flag, the colors of the Grimaldi arms. He leaves behind a Principality that is considerably straightened up and a son: Albert I.

Albert I was fascinated by the marine world and by the origins of Man. He built the Oceanographic Museum, the Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology and the Exotic Garden. In all, Albert I led 28 scientific expeditions. Monaco became the place of reference for science and research.

But at the same time, the Principality became so attractive that in fifty years, the population grew from 1,000 to 20,000 inhabitants, of which only 7% were nationals. The people rose up in 1910, furious that the country belonged mainly to wealthy residents. The Prince agreed to give up full powers and make Monaco a constitutional monarchy. The National Council and the Monegasque Constitution were born in 1911

Europe is shaken by war. Monaco declared its neutrality and the Prince founded the International Peace Institute, the forerunner of the UN. His son Louis joined the French troops. In 1918, France and Monaco secretly signed the Treaty of Paris: France was to guarantee and protect the Principality's independence and citizenship. In return, Monaco undertook to always act in accordance with the political, military, naval and economic interests of France. In 1922, Louis II succeeded his father at the age of 52. Unmarried, he had only one illegitimate daughter: Charlotte. Louis II officially recognized her and Charlotte married Count Pierre de Polignac. From their union, a girl, Antoinette, and a boy, Rainier, were born.

In accordance with the Salic law, Rainier ascended the throne on November 19, 1949, under the name of Rainier III. Faced with an ever-increasing population, Rainier III undertook major works in the Principality in the 1960s, and expanded the territory by 20% through extensions on the sea

In the early 1950s, Rainier III met the beautiful American actress Grace Kelly, who was shooting in Cannes. Love at first sight was immediate and the wedding was celebrated in April 1956, with Alfred Hitchcock himself as the bride's witness. A wedding filmed and followed by the whole world (30 million viewers).

From this union were born Princess Caroline, Prince Albert and Princess Stephanie. This happy marriage contributes to the attractiveness of the Principality, which continues to develop. Cultural and artistic events flourished, under the impetus of the Prince and Princess, such as the Printemps des Arts and the Monte-Carlo Television Festival. Rainier III promulgated a new Constitution, in which he proclaimed the Sovereignty and independence of the Monegasque State. But the French authorities did not look kindly on this growing attractiveness, especially because of the great tax advantages granted by the Principality to French companies, employees and residents on Monegasque territory. To ease tensions, Rainier III decreed that only Monegasques would continue to benefit from these advantages. The new French nationals had to give them up

20 years later, the Principality was hit with terrible news: the beloved Princess Grace died suddenly in a car accident

Prince Rainier III died in 2005, a few years after initiating his last major construction project: a huge 352-meter floating dike that will be the future Mareterra district, planned for 2025. The current Prince Albert II continues his work.

Very committed to the preservation of the oceans and the environment, he leads numerous action and awareness campaigns throughout the world, through his Foundation, to warn of the consequences of global warming. Today, he is the only Head of State in office to have visited both poles. In 2000, he met the swimmer Charlene de Wittstock. The wedding, which was highly publicized, was celebrated in July 2011. The royal twins, Hereditary Prince James and Princess Gabriella, were born in 2014.

For her part, Princess Caroline of Hanover created the association "Jeune, j'écoute": a telephone service for young people in distress. She is also president of the board of directors and the literary council of the Fondation Prince-Pierre-de-Monaco

Princess Stéphanie is actively fighting against HIV through her foundation Fight Aids Monaco