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A n y w a y... Antonio I was born in January 1661, to Louis I and Catherine Charlotte de Gramont. His June 1688 marriage, to Maria of Lorraine, was personally arranged by France's King Louis XIV; in those days, of course, the Grimaldis were more or less based in the French court at the Palace of Versailles. The couple would eventually have six children, only two of whom - Louise-Hippolyte and Margaretha - would survive infancy.
Assuming the throne following the death of his father in January 1701, in addition to being the Prince of Monaco and the Duke of Valentinois, Antonio I had added to his family's list of hereditary titles when he was created the first Marquis of Baux, a title by tradition given to the eldest son and heir. Following the death of Antonio I on this day in 1731, five days shy of his 70th birthday, a minor controversy occurred... Since at the time a female succession was generally frowned upon, as part of a deal brokered with the Sun King it was agreed that Louise-Hippolyte's husband Jacques François Goyon de Matignon would be given the surname Grimaldi, and co-rule with her when the time came. Which is exactly what came to pass*...
*Alas, although it came to pass, it didn't go so well; as popular as Louise-Hippolyte was among her subjects, that's how unpopular her husband would be. But that's a story best left for another day...
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1 comment:
Antonio Banderas surely would have played a commendable "usurper" role for that matter.
The King is dead so...
Cheers,
Javier
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