PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ENGINEERING & REMOTE SENSING
August 2015
613
“S
ince ancient times, Monaco has always
been at the crossroads of history. Initially
the Ligurians, the ancient people who first
settled Monaco, were concerned with the strategic
location of the Rock of Monaco. Evidence of the
Ligurian occupation of Monaco was found in a
cave in the Saint Martin’s Gardens. Originally a
mountain-dwelling people, they were known for
their hard work and their frugality, two traits by
which Monegasque citizens are known for today.
Founded by the Phocaeans of Massalia during
the 6
th
century, the colony of Monoikos became an
important port of the Mediterranean coast. Julius
Caesar stopped in Monoecus after the Gallic Wars
on his way to campaign inGreece.
After the collapse
of the Western Roman Empire in 476, Monaco was
ravaged by Saracens and barbarian tribes. After
the Saracens were expelled in 975, the depopulated
area was reclaimed by the Ligurians.
In 1215,
construction began on a fortress atop the Rock of
Monaco by a detachment of Genoese Ghibellines.
With the intention of turning the Rock of Monaco
into a military stronghold, the Ghibellines created
a settlement around the base of the Rock to support
the garrison. To draw in residents from Genoa and
other surrounding cities, the Ghibellines offered
land grants and tax exemptions to newcomers. Civil
strife in Genoa between the Guelph and Ghibelline
families resulted in many taking refuge in Monaco,
among them the Guelph family. Son of Otto
Canella, Consul of Genoa in 1133, Grimaldo began
the House of Grimaldi, the future ruling family of
Monaco.
In 1297, François Grimaldi (“Malizia”,
translated from Italian as “The Cunning”) disguised
as a Franciscan monk alongside his cousin Rainier
I and his men captured the fortress atop the Rock
of Monaco. At his death in 1309, François Grimaldi
was succeeded by his cousin, Rainier I. His son,
Charles Grimaldi, who would come to be known as
Charles I, is considered by historians to be the real
PRINCIPALITY OF
founder of the Principality. In 1612, Hercule’s son Honoré II,
was first given the title of “Prince of Monaco”, which became
the official title of the ruler of Monaco and would be passed
on to his successors. After Napoleon abdicated the throne in
1814, Monaco was returned to its previous state under the new
rule of Honoré IV.
“However, the Principality was re-established as a
protectorate of the Kingdom of Sardinia by the Congress of
Vienna in 1815. Monaco remained a protectorate until 1860
when, by the Treaty of Turin at the time of Italy’s unification,
Monaco was ceded to France. With unrest in Menton and
Roquebrune, the Prince gave up his claim to the two towns
(which made up 95% of the Principality at the time) in return
for four million francs. Both the transfer of these two cities
Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing
Vol. 81, No. 8, August 2015, pp. 613–614.
0099-1112/15/613–614
© 2015 American Society for Photogrammetry
and Remote Sensing
doi: 10.14358/PERS.81.8.613
