Monaco: 1815 to Present

After the final fall of the Empire, the second Treaty of Paris of November 20, 1815 placed the Principality under the protection of the King of Sardinia. A treaty was signed on Novemebr 8, 1817, with King Victor-Emmanuel I at Stupiniggi. The situation of Monaco resulting from this was much less advantageous than the alliance with the King of France. The state of the finances was more delicate, the resources of the country being very much reduced, the communes, parishes and hospitals burdened with debts.

Honoré-Gabriel, having become Prince Sovereign under the name of Honoré V, tried throughout his reign from 1819 to 1841 to remedy this state of affairs. The measures taken, although dictated by a very strong concern for the general interest, were not always happy and often alienated the population. There were several hostile demonstrations, in particular in Menton in 1833.

In 1841 upon the death of unmarried Honoré V, power passed to his brother Florestan. This Prince, passionately interested in literature and the theater, was unprepared for the exercise of power. Luckily, his wife, Caroline Gilbert of Lametz, daughter of a family with a bourgeois background, possessed remarkable intelligence and a very developed sense of business; she was a great help to him. The first measures taken to redress the difficult situation, which the decrees of Honoré V had created, had the effect of calming the people for the moment but was of short duration. Florestan and Caroline, however, made every effort to re-establish prosperity.

Serious disagreements then came to a head with the commune of Menton, the inhabitants having shown their desire for independence for some time. The King of Sardinia, Charles-Albert, had given a liberal constitution to his subjects and the people of Menton demanded a similar one for the Principality. The constitution, which Florestan offered them on two occasions, did not meet their approval; after the revolution of 1848 in France, the situation grew worse. Florestan and Caroline handed over all their powers to their son Charles. But it was too late to assuage the spirits of the people. On March 20, 1848, Menton and Roquebrune declared themselves to be free and independent townships.

However, annexation by the Kingdom of Sardinia, in spite of the efforts of the Court of Turin, did not take place. The efforts of Florestan and, after his death in 1856, those of his son Charles III, were also unsuccessful. Troubles continued until the Treaty of Turin in 1860 which ceded to France the county of Nice and Savoy. Shortly after the Treaty of February 2, 1861, Charles III gave up his rights to France over Menton and Roquebrune. This treaty, which gave the Prince, an indemnity of four million francs for the loss of the two towns, guaranteed for him the independence of Monaco under his sole authority. For the first time in three centuries, the independence of Monaco was formally recognized and freed from any link with a protecting power.

The Principality, reduced to one-twentieth of its territory, deprived of the revenue, which it drew from Roquebrune and Menton, found itself in a financially difficult situation. In order to meet the expense of administration and the cost of upkeep of the Court, it was imperative to find other sources of revenue apart from taxes whose rates could not be increased. In 1863 after several attempts to increase commercial activity, Charles III and his mother Princess Caroline had the idea of establishing a gaming house under the name of the Société des Bains de Mer. The concession was given in turn to two businessmen, neither of whom was able to manage the enterprise successfully.

It was then that François Blanc, director of gaming at Homburg, who came to be called the Magician of Monte Carlo, obtained the concession for fifty years. Under his enlightened management, the business developed to an extent, which was far beyond the most optimistic forecasts. Situated in an enchanting setting, the various establishments – hotels, theater and casino – of the Seabath Company attracted hosts of tourists from the very beginning, in spite of the difficulty of access to the Principality. Later, in 1868, when the railway line between Nice and Ventimiglia was completed, their number increased to remarkable figures. The economic growth of the Principality increased in a striking manner and at the same time the development of the town went ahead at an incredible pace. On the rocks of the Spelugues, the main establishment of the Seabath Company, the Casino, was quickly surrounded by luxury hotels and splendid buildings. This area changed its name in 1866 and in honor of Prince Charles assumed that of Monte Carlo.

Between 1866 and 1905 the Principality signed treaties relating to the extradition of wrong-doers with Italy, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Russia, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Great Britain and Denmark as well as conventions on Legal Aid and Reciprocal Communication of Civil Status Deeds with Italy, Belgium and France. Monaco was also a signatory of several multilateral treaties such as the Paris Convention of 1883, the Berne Convention of 1886 and the Madrid Arrangement of 1891. At the same time, Monaco accredited Ministers or Chargés d’Affaires to Paris, the Vatican, Spain, Italy and Belgium. Charles III also increased the number of his consular agents.

Prince Charles III, living for most of his reign in his chateau of Marchais in Champagne, did not, however, neglect the direction of public business, aided by the enlightened advice of the lawyer Eynaud. It was to this Prince and his son, Prince Albert I, that Monaco owes its striking development, its reputation and its institutions.

Albert I succeeded his father in 1889. Until then he had devoted himself entirely to scientific research, which engrossed him. His discoveries in the fields of oceanography and paleontology won him a great reputation and a seat in the Academy of Sciences. It would take too long to list all his achievements; it suffices to recall that he was the founder of the Oceanographic Institute, which consists of the famous Museum inaugurated in 1910 and the establishment created in Paris to teach this science. We are indebted to him also for the Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology in Monaco and the Institute of Human Paleontology in Paris. In addition, in 1903 he founded the International Institute of Peace with the task of “studying the means of resolving disagreements between nations by arbitration, propagating attachment to methods of harmonious agreement and removing hatred from the hearts of people”.

In the field of the arts, activities undertaken during his reign won the Principality a magnificent reputation; the Opera, created in 1869, under the directorship of the eminent Raoul Gunsbourg, rapidly won international fame due to the superior quality of its performances and its creations, which were to become famous.

In 1869 Prince Albert married Marie-Victoire de Douglas-Hamilton. This union produced Prince Louis II who succeeded his father in 1922. Prince Louis II, a graduate of the Saint Cyr military college, enjoyed a career as an officer of colonial troops in Algeria. Having left the army, he returned to service life again during the 1914-1918 War and was promoted to the rank of general. The attempts of Prince Albert I to persuade the Kaiser to stop the war in 1914 unfortunately bore no fruit. On January 5, 1911, Prince Albert I gave Monaco a Constitution. With the consent of Prince Albert I, Prince Louis II married his daughter, Princess Charlotte, to Prince Pierre de Polignac. It was this marriage which produced in 1921 H.S.H. Princess Antoinette and in 1923 H.S.H. Prince Rainier III. Joining the French Army as a volunteer during the Second World War, H.S.H. Prince Rainier III was mentioned in Brigade Orders with the award of the War Cross and in 1947 He received the Cross of the Legion of Honor, military division. In 1949, He succeeded His grandfather, Prince Louis II, to the throne. On April 18, 1956, Prince Rainier married Miss Grace Patricia Kelly, who was born in Philadelphia on November 12, 1929. Their three children are: H.S.H. Princess Caroline, born in Monaco on January 23, 1957, H.S.H. Prince Albert, Heir to the Throne, Marquis of Baux, born in Monaco on March 14, 1958, and H.S.H. Princess Stephanie, born in Monaco on February 1, 1965.

During His 56-year reign, Prince Rainier maintained Monaco’s political, economical and social stability and transformed this idyllic Riviera holiday spot into a thriving international financial, business, cultural and sports center and premier luxury tourist destination. He initiated many innovative infrastructure policies and oversaw the Principality’s unique geographical extension and its exceptional economic development. In 1958, He opened up Monte-Carlo’s seaboard and in 1965 launched the land reclamation project that extended Monaco’s territory by 20 percent.

Prince Rainier III established the Principality's status in the international community as well. In 1993, the Principality of Monaco became the 183rd member of the United Nations in 1993 with full voting rights. In 2002 a new treaty between France and Monaco established that if there were no heirs to carry on the Grimaldi dynasty, the Principality would remain an independent nation. In 2004 Monaco was admitted to the Council of Europe. In addition, Prince Rainier III offered His patronage and financial support to various social and humanitarian causes throughout the world. He staunchly supported the work of scientists in resolving environmental issues, and was a foremost supporter of various conservation practices. Prince Rainier had an outstanding reign, turning Monaco into a thriving center of international finance and business, as well as maintaining its status as a premier luxury tourist destination. He oversaw the addition of the Fontvieille district; a district completely recovered from the sea which increased the Principality's surface area by 25%. He pioneered many innovative infrastructure improvements, as well as major projects such the Port Hercule transformation, which allows for more ships to dock there as well as large cruise ships, and the Grimaldi Forum Monaco, a futuristic conference and cultural center. The economy of the Principality increased dramatically as a result. Other major infrastructure projects included the Grimaldi Forum Monaco, a state-of-the-art conference and cultural center and the transformation of Port Hercule with a unique, semi-floating breakwater, installed in 2002, which allows for increased capacity and the docking of larger cruise ships. Light manufacturing and hi-tech commercial businesses found a home in the new Fontvieille district, bringing diversity to the Principality’s economy. These economic advances continue to ensure Monaco’s citizens and residents receive substantial social and cultural benefits.

He was dedicated to establishing the Principality’s status in the international community – in 1993 Monaco became the United Nations’ 183rd Member State, and in 2004 it was admitted to the Council of Europe. As the leader of a prosperous democratic nation, He gained much international respect by offering His patronage and financial support to many social and humanitarian causes. His commitment to scientific and environmental issues stemmed from his passion of the sea and His legacy to the world’s oceans includes thoughtful resource management practices and conservation techniques.

With the invaluable contribution of His beloved Princess Grace, Monaco became an international center for cultural and sporting events. Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Little Singers of Monaco, the Prince Pierre Foundation, the Princess Grace Foundation, the International Circus Festival, Spring Arts Festival, the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix and the Tennis Open are just some of the many initiatives that grew and prospered under His leadership.

On September 14, 1982, Princess Grace died as a result of a tragic motor car accident.

H.S.H. Prince Rainier, known as “The Builder Prince”, died on April 6, 2005 in Monaco at the age of 81. The official ceremonies marking the enthronement of H.S.H. Prince Albert II took place in Monaco on July 12, 2005.