FAMOUS MONEGASQUES
PRINCE ALBERT I :
A Prince For All Time and For All Continents
By Justin Brisk
One hundred years after the passing of Prince Albert I , the Principality has bloomed almost unrecognizably . Historically , each Prince made their contribution since the Grimaldi dynasty started in 1297 when Francesco Grimaldi seized the castle on the Rock with his cousin Rainier I disguised as Franciscan friars . That was the “ Big Bang ” commemorated on the Coat of Arms of the Grimaldis . There are continual evolutionary landmarks , pillars on which the future flourishing of Monaco has since been built . The reign of Prince Albert I is one of those evolutionary landmarks .
One of those recognizable modern era pillars was without doubt put into place by Albert I ’ s father Charles III in the nineteenth century with the alliance with the enterprising Blancs and the creation of a flourishing Casino and Société des Bains de Mer of which 10 year old Hereditary Prince Albert laid the founding stone .
In a dynasty lasting over 700 years , there are pillars continually being put in place and the reign of Prince Albert I is one of the more important ones . It took the shoulders of a giant , an admired scientist and humanist to transform the destiny of the Principality from that point in the 19th century when Prince Albert I ascended the throne to Monaco ’ s position today as a thriving pearl in the global community of nations led by his great-great-grandson Prince Albert II .
42 / Hello Monaco Spring 2022 www . hellomonaco . com