House of Grimaldi

Rare card · No. 49391

The House of Grimaldi is the reigning house of the Principality of Monaco. The house was founded in 1160 by Grimaldo Canella in Genoa and became the ruling house of Monaco when Francesco Grimaldi captured Monaco in 1297. Every Prince of Monaco has been a member of the House of Grimaldi. Since the 18th century, the princes have been agnatic descendants of other families that have inherited through the female line and adopted the Grimaldi name. In 1715, Jacques Goyon de Matignon married Louise Hippolyte, Princess of Monaco, the last Grimaldi agnatic heir. He and his male line descendants, adopting the Grimaldi name, ruled as princes of Monaco from 1731 to 1949. During much of the Ancien Régime, the family resided in the French court, where from 1642 to 1715, they used the title of Duke of Valentinois. The current head of the house is Albert II of Monaco, Sovereign Prince of Monaco, who is the son and successor of Prince Rainier III and the Princess consort Grace of Monaco, formerly known...

Read on Wikipedia · Image CC BY-SA 3.0