- AKA: Raneiro I of Monaco
- 1st Soveriegn of Monaco
Rainier I of Monaco was born 1267 in Nice, France to Lanfranco Grimaldi (1230-1293) and died 1314 Napoli, Campania, Italy of unspecified causes. He married Selvatica del Carretto (1268-1328) 1290 JL . He married Andriola Grillo (c1275-) 1310 JL .
Biography
Rainier I of Monaco (1267–1314) was the first sovereign Grimaldi ruler of the area now known as Monaco. He also held the title of Lord of Cagnes. Cagnes was the town where in 1309 he established a stronghold, today known as the Château Grimaldi.
Additionally, he was Baron of San Demetrio (Kingdom of Naples).
He was the eldest of the three sons of Lanfranco Grimaldi, French Vicar of Provence, by his wife, Aurelia del Carretto (who later remarried her husband's cousin, François Grimaldi).
In 1297, Rainier joined his stepfather (François) and a group of men to take the castle on the Rock of Monaco. 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 after winning the Battle of Zierikzee.
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:
Marriage and Children
He married twice: firstly, Selvatica del Carretto (1268-1328), daughter of Giacomo del Carretto, Margrave of Finale. They had four children:
- Carlo I of Monaco (c1295-1357), his successor, Lord of Monaco.
- 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 (c1275-). This marriage was childless.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Carlo I of Monaco (c1295-1357) | 1295 | 15 August 1357 Monaco, Monaco | Lucinette Spinola (c1295-) |
| Luca Grimaldi (c1296-) | |||
| Salvaggia Grimaldi (c1297-) | |||
| Vinciguerra Grimaldi (c1298-) | |||
Siblings
Residences
See Also
- Rainier Grimaldi
- Grimaldi Family
- Grimaldi in France
- Grimaldi in Italy
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.
- Michel-Yves Mourou, Princesses de Monaco, Editions du Rocher, Monaco, 2010. ISBN 2268068714
- Françoise de Bernardy, Princes of Monaco: the remarkable history of the Grimaldi family, ed. Barker, 1961.
External Links
- wikipedia:en:Rainier I of Monaco, Lord of Cagnes
- Rainier I of Monaco, Lord of Cagnes, Geni.com, https://www.geni.com/people/Ranieri-I-Grimaldi-signore-di-Cagnes/6000000012714368784, retrieved 01 May 2023
- Princes of Monaco, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/provnice.htm#_Toc31542623, retrieved 01 May 2023
- Raneiro Grimaldi, Dizionario-Biografico (Italiano), https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/raniero-grimaldi_%28Dizionario-Biografico%29/, retrieved 01 May 2023
- 700 Years of Grimaldis- Archive.ph.
References