Antonio I, Prince of Monaco
Antonio I (25 January 1661 – 20 February 1731) was the sovereign Prince of Monaco from 1701 to 1731. He was the elder son of Louis I of Monaco and Catherine Charlotte de Gramont.
| Antonio I | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) Portrait by Hyacinthe Rigaud c. 1706 | |
| Prince of Monaco | |
| Reign | 3 January 1701 – 20 February 1731 |
| Predecessor | Louis I |
| Successor | Louise Hippolyte |
| Born | 25 January 1661 |
| Died | 20 February 1731 (aged 70) |
| Spouse | Marie of Lorraine |
| Issue | Louise Hippolyte, Princess of Monaco Margherita Camilla, Princess of Isenghien |
| House | Grimaldi |
| Father | Louis I, Prince of Monaco |
| Mother | Catherine Charlotte de Gramont |
In 1683, Antonio was named lieutenant in the Régiment du Roi Infanterie. In 1684, he was named colonel of the regiment of Soissonois.[1] During the Nine Years War he was present at the Battle of Philippsburg (1688), the Battle of Fleurus (1690), the Siege of Mons (1691), and the Siege of Namur (1692).
On 21 August 1702, Antonio took the oath to King Louis XIV of France in the Parlement on account of being Duke of Valentinois and a Peer of France. He was made a knight of the French royal orders in 1724.
He "completed the fortifications of the Rock of Monaco, constructed the Oreillon and the Fort Antoine."[1] Finally, he formed a "brilliant Court in his palace."[1] He constructed the Rampe Major in 1714; this was an improved road connecting La Condamine to the "platform of the peninsula."[1] The Oreillon tower commanding the ramp leading to the Palais Princier[2] was constructed between 1707-1708.[1]
Marriage and children
Antonio married 13 June 1688 Marie de Lorraine, "Mademoiselle d'Armagnac" (12 August 1674 – 30 October 1724), daughter of Louis, Count of Armagnac.
They had six daughters, of whom only three survived infancy :
- Caterina Charlotte (7 October 1691 – 18 June 1696), "Mademoiselle de Monaco".
- Louise Hippolyte (10 November 1697 – 29 December 1731), successor of her father.
- Elisabetta Charlotte (3 November 1698 – 25 August 1702), "Mademoiselle de Valentinois".
- Margherita Camilla (1 May 1700 – 27 April 1758), "Mademoiselle de Carlades"; married on 16 April 1720 to Louis de Gand-Vilain, Prince of Isenghien and marshal of France.
- Maria Devota (15 March 1702 – 24 October 1703), "Mademoiselle des Baux".
- Maria Paolina Theresa Devota (23 October 1708 – 20 May 1726), "Mademoiselle de Chabreuil'".
Antonio also had a number of illegitimate children:
- with Elisabeth Durfort (a dancer)
- Antoine Grimaldi (1697–1784), known as the Chevalier de Grimaldi
- with Victoire Vertu (dancer at the Paris opera)
- Antoinette Grimaldi, called mademoiselle de Saint-Rémy
- with an unknown woman
- Louise Marie Thérèse Grimaldi (1705–1723)
Further reading
- 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.
References
- Chiavassa, Henri (1964). The History of the Principality of Monaco as Seen Through its Postage Stamps. Monaco: Postage Stamps Issuing Office. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- Christiaan Klieger, P (2012). The Microstates of Europe: Designer Nations in a Post-Modern World. Lexington Books. ISBN 9780739174272. Retrieved 28 December 2018.