Monaco · 300th anniversary of the birth of Prince Honoré III

Honoré III of the House of Grimaldi was the sovereign prince of Monaco from 1733 to 1793. He was a son of the Monegasque heiress princess Louise-Hippolyte Grimaldi and Jacques de Goyon de Matignon. After the marriage, his father adopted the name and coat of arms of the Grimaldi and briefly ruled as Jacques I. After his abdication, the rule passed to the still young Honoré.

At that time, the principality was closely connected with France politically and economically. This bond was based on a protection treaty concluded as early as the 17th century. Honoré III frequently stayed in France and served as an officer in the French army. The day-to-day affairs of government in Monaco were therefore handled by representatives for extended periods. His reign lasted six decades and thus encompassed a large part of the 18th century.

The end of his rule was connected with the French Revolution. A movement emerged in Monaco demanding political changes and annexation to France. In 1793, the principality was annexed by the French Republic and incorporated into French territory under the name Fort-Hercule. The princely family lost its rule and possessions. Honoré III was temporarily imprisoned during the revolutionary Reign of Terror and died in Paris in 1795. It was only after the fall of Napoleon that the rule of the Grimaldi in Monaco was restored; his son Honoré IV became prince.

The commemoration of Honoré III is therefore linked not only to a dynastic biography, but also to an era in which Monaco’s relationship with France and the continuation of its sovereignty were redefined. Round-number birth and reign anniversaries of members of the princely house are regularly taken up by Monaco as themes for commemorative coins.