- 1505-1523: Lord of Monaco
- Luciano, Signore di Monaco
Luciano Grimaldi was born 1481 to Lamberto Grimaldi d'Antibes (c1420-1494) and Claudine Grimaldi (1451-1515) and died 22 August 1523 Monaco, Monaco of unspecified causes. He married Jeanne de Ponteves (1501-1523) 25 September 1514 JL in Monaco, Monaco.
Biography
Lucien (1487 – 22 August 1523) became Lord of Monaco on 11 October 1505, having murdered[1][2] his predecessor and brother, Jean II, and held that sovereignty until his death.
House of Grimaldi
Great coat of arms of the House of Grimaldi.
The Grimaldi Family, with few exceptions for enemy occupations, have been primary rulers of Monaco since the 13th Century. Their family ancestry can be easily traced to many of the great noble families of Europe. See Also:
Murder of Jean II
At least two accounts of the murder portray it as arising from an argument between the brothers. According to Françoise de Bernardy's acclaimed history of the Princes of Monaco, it was almost midnight on the evening of October 5th, 1505. Lord Jean II was staying in the family's house at Menton. Lucien and their mother, Claudine, were also in the house. No one knows what the brothers' argued about, but their quarrel ended with Lucien stabbing Jean with his dagger.[1] In a graphic novel published by Dargaud in 1997, Lucien's explanation to his mother is that he lost his temper when Jean admitted to trying to sell Monaco to the Venetians behind their backs.[2] This supports the account that Lucien gave in writing to the Duke of Savoy: "I remonstrated with him," Lucien wrote, "over the great wrong he was doing his brothers and sisters by planning dishonourably to sell this stronghold of [Monaco] to the Venetians...."[1] Lucien claimed that his brother taunted him and even struck at him with his dagger before Lucien fought back in self-defense.[1]
Reign
A year after Lucien's reign began, Genoa broke free of France, and many of its people fled to Monaco for refuge. In December 1506, 14,000 Genoese troops besieged Monaco and its castle. The blockade lasted for five months, until Lucien was able to rout the Genoese in March 1507. Monaco, and by extension Lucien, was now in a tight spot, being subjects of France but caught in a diplomatic tight spot between France and Spain, trying to preserve its fragile independence.
In 1515, Lucien bought the feudal rights over the city of Mentone, retained by the family of Anne de Lascaris, Countess of Villars, thus bringing the city, as a whole, under Monaco's sovereignty until the French Revolution.
Assassination
On 22 August 1523, Lucien was assassinated by his nephew, Bartholomew Doria of Dolceaqua, son of Lucien's sister Francoise Doria, at the Prince's Palace of Monaco. His body was dragged down the steps of the palace by Doria's men, to be shown to the disbelieving masses, thus inciting a riot wherein the people of Monaco chased Doria and his men out of the country.
Andrea Doria, the famous admiral and a cousin to Bartholomew, is believed to have had prior knowledge of the assassination. The full extent of his compliance in this event is speculation, stemming from his being in the Port of Hercules with his squadron of ships on the day of the assassination and his having received a message from Bartholomew that was sent out of the palace just moments before Bartholomew carried out the assassination. The message was believed to have been a ruse to get rid of Lucien's major domo and twelve or fourteen of Lucien's armed men, leaving Lucien alone in the company of his nephew, but for one slave.
Lucien was succeeded by his youngest son, Honoré.
Family and Marriage
He was the fourth son of Lambert Grimaldi (1420–1494) and Claudine Grimaldi (1451–1515).
On 25 September 1514 he married Jeanne de Pontevès-Cabanes. The couple had at least five children;
- Francois Grimaldi (1516-) - son, died young
- Claudine Grimaldi (1517-) - daughter
- Lamberto Grimaldi (1519-) - son, died young
- Rainier Grimaldi (1521-) - son, died young
- Honore of Monaco (1522-1581) - successor to father as Lord of Monaco
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Francois Grimaldi (1516-) | |||
| Claudine Grimaldi (1517-) | |||
| Lamberto Grimaldi (1519-) | |||
| Rainier Grimaldi (1521-) | |||
| Honore of Monaco (1522-1581) | 16 December 1522 Monaco, Monaco | 7 October 1581 Monaco, Monaco | Isabelle Grimaldi (1525-1583) |
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Giovanni Grimaldi (1468-1505) | |||
| Luciano Grimaldi (1481-1523) | 1481 | 22 August 1523 Monaco, Monaco | Jeanne de Ponteves (1501-1523) |
| Augustin Grimaldi (c1470-) | |||
| Bianca Grimaldi (c1472-) | |||
| Cesarina Grimaldi (c1474-) | |||
| Filiberto Grimaldi (c1476-) | |||
| Francesca Grimaldi (c1477-) | |||
| Isabelle Grimaldi (c1478-) | |||
| Ludovico Grimaldi (c1480-) | |||
Residences
See Also
Bibliography
- Pemberton, H. The History of Monaco: Past and Present. Tinsley Brothers. London: 1867. URL: https://archive.org/details/historyofmonacop00pemb
- Schwennicke, Detlev (Ed.) Europäische Stammtafeln, J.A. Stargardt Verlag, Marburg, volume II, table 201.
External Links
- wikipedia:en:Lucien, Lord of Monaco
- Lucien, Lord of Monaco at thePeerage
- Lucien, Lord of Monaco, Geni.com, https://www.geni.com/people/Lucien-Grimaldi-lord-of-Monaco/6000000012714470203, retrieved 01 May 2023
- The Hare Society Website
- Monaco History
- Lucien's Stamp
- The Hare Society Page
- Princes of Monaco, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/provnice.htm#_Toc31542623, retrieved 01 May 2023
- Luciano Grimaldi, Dizionario-Biografico (Italiano), https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/luciano-grimaldi/, retrieved 01 May 2023
- 700 Years of Grimaldis- Archive.ph.
Royal Succession Chart
| Preceded by Jean II |
Lord of Monaco 1505–1523 |
Succeeded by Honoré I |
Notable facts
- Monaco issued a stamp in Lucien's honor, in 1967.[3]
- Lucien was responsible for extensive repairs and additions to the Prince's Palace of Monaco, resulting from damage received during the Genoese siege.
- Pope Adrian VI visited Monaco during Lucien's reign, in 1522.[4]
- Monaco issued a 2 euro coin for Lucien in 2012.[5]
- A painting of Lucien Grimaldi, attributed to Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, hangs in the galleries of the Princely Palace of Monaco.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d Bernardy, Françoise de (1961). The Princes of Monaco (English translation ed.). Monaco/London: Archives du Palais de Monaco/Arthur Barker Ltd.
- ^ a b Bourgne, Marc; Shackleton, Anthea (November 1997). The History of Monaco. Dargaud.
- ^ a b Chiavassa, Henri (1964). The History of the Principality as Seen through its Postage Stamps. Monaco: Postage Stamp Issuing Office. https://books.google.com/books?id=9uNFAQAAIAAJ.
- ^ "Mad for Monaco: Lucien Grimaldi, Lord of Monaco". 2015-05-08. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. https://archive.today/20150508172548/http://madmonaco.blogspot.gr/2009/07/lucien-grimaldi-lord-of-monaco.html.
- ^ "Lucien Grimaldi / Personnages / Histoire et Patrimoine / Gouvernement…". 2019-03-27. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. https://archive.today/20190327014307/https://www.gouv.mc/Gouvernement-et-Institutions/Histoire-et-Patrimoine/Personnages/Lucien-Grimaldi.