Francesco Grimaldi di Monaco

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Francesco Grimaldi

Francesco Grimaldi (* in the 13th century; † 1309 in Ventimiglia ), called Malizia or "the cunning", was the leader of the Guelphs who conquered the fortress of Monaco on the night of January 8, 1297 .

biography

Francesco was the son of Guglielmo, from the Genoese noble family of the Grimaldi , and of his wife Giacoba, from an unknown family.

The family descended from Grimaldo, who had been consul of the Republic of Genoa in 1162, 1170 and 1184 .

Although he only had a small army, he disguised himself as a Franciscan seeking asylum for the night. During the night he opened the doors for his soldiers to take possession of the castle with his cousin Raniero I , Lord of Cagnes . This event is remembered in the Monegasque coat of arms , on which two friars armed with swords as shield holders refer to this event. He held the Citadel of Monaco for four years before being driven out by the Genoese. The fight for the "rock" was taken over by his relatives.

He married Aurelia Del Carretto in 1295 and had no children from that marriage. The modern Grimaldis are therefore not descendants of Francesco. After his death in 1309, he was succeeded by his cousin (and stepson), Raniero I, Lord of Cagnes. It was not until September 12, 1331, after the retreat of the Ghibellines, that Raniero's son Carlo received the fortress of Monaco from the French king again.

The Grimaldi family and their cousin's descendants have retained the reign of Monaco to this day. Over a hundred years after the coup, the Grimaldis bought Monaco from the Crown of Aragon in 1419 and became the official and undisputed rulers of the "Rock of Monaco"

Memorial inscription

An inscription in five languages ​​(Monegasque, French, English, German and Italian) can be seen in Monaco, in the square in front of the Prince's Palace, next to the modern statue of Francesco Grimaldi:

" Storicu de Francescu Grimaldi ditu Maliçia

U oetu de zena d'u mila dui çentu nunanta sete, de sëra, Francescu Grimaldi arriva cun ün statagema a s'impadruni d'a furteça bastia da i Genuesi scïu d'u schoeyu de Munëgu: vestiu da frate, se fa droeve ë porte e piya ë gardie per sürpresa.

E cisci fandu devegne u primu Grimaldi a regna sciü de Munëgu.

Ün suvegni d'achëstu cou de man, e stau stranumau Maliçia che voe di Fürbu. "

Story of Francesco Grimaldi called the Sly

In the evening of January 8, 1297, Francesco Grimaldi used a trick to conquer the fortress built by the Genoese on the fortress of Monaco: disguised as a monk, he opens the doors and surprises the guards.

He becomes the first Grimaldi to rule Monaco.

In memory of this episode he was called Malizia or Sly . "

credentials

  1. The Principality of Monaco ( en )

literature

  • Françoise de Bernardy: Princes of Monaco: the remarkable history of the Grimaldi family . Barker, 1961 (English).

Web links

Commons : Francesco Grimaldi di Monaco  - Collection of images, videos and audio files