Antonio I, Prince of Monaco

Not to be confused with Anthony I, Lord of Monaco.

Antonio I (25 January 1661 – 20 February 1731) was the sovereign Prince of Monaco from 1701 to 1731.

Antonio I
Portrait by Hyacinthe Rigaud, c. 1706
Prince of Monaco
Reign	3 January 1701 – 20 February 1731
Predecessor	Louis I
Successor	Louise Hippolyte
Born	(1661-01-25)25 January 1661
Died	20 February 1731(1731-02-20) (aged 70)
Spouse	Marie of Lorraine
Issue Detail	Antoine, Governor-General of Monaco Louise Hippolyte, Princess of Monaco
House	Grimaldi
Father	Louis I, Prince of Monaco
Mother	Catherine Charlotte de Gramont
Religion	Roman Catholic

Early life

Antonio was the elder son of Louis I of Monaco and Catherine Charlotte de Gramont.

Career

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 and 1708.^[1]

Personal life

Royal Monogram of Prince Antonio I of Monaco

On 13 June 1688, Antonio married Marie de Lorraine, "Mademoiselle d'Armagnac" (1674–1724), a daughter of Louis, Count of Armagnac. Together, they had six daughters, of whom only three survived infancy:

• Caterina Charlotte (1691–1696), "Mademoiselle de Monaco", died in early childhood.
• Louise Hippolyte (1697–1731), successor of her father.
• Elisabetta Charlotte (1698–1702), "Mademoiselle de Valentinois", died in childhood.
• Margherita Camilla (1700–1758), "Mademoiselle de Carlades"; who married Louis de Gand-Vilain, Prince of Isenghien and Marshal of France, in 1720.
• Maria Devota (1702–1703), "Mademoiselle des Baux", died in infancy.
• Maria Paolina Theresa Devota (1708–1726), "Mademoiselle de Chabreuil", who died unmarried at 18.

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 (1699–?), called mademoiselle de Saint-Rémy
• with an unidentified Provençal lady
  • Louise Marie Thérèse Grimaldi (1705–1723)

Ancestors

Ancestors of Antonio I, Prince of Monaco

8. Honoré II, Prince of Monaco 4. Ercole of Monaco 9. Ippolita Trivulzio 2. Louis I, Prince of Monaco 10. Luca Spinola, signore di Molfetta 5. Maria Aurelia Spinola 11. Pellina Spinola 1. Antonio I, Prince of Monaco 12. Antoine, Duke de Gramont 6. Antoine, Duke of Gramont 13. Louise de Roquelaure 3. Catherine Charlotte de Gramont 14. Hector de Chivré, seigneur du Plessis 7. Françoise Marguerite du Plessis de Chivré 15. Marie de Connan

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.