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Lucien became Lord of Monaco on 11 October 1505 , six days after killing his predecessor , his own brother , Jean II . He had to immediately stabilize power when he became Lord after such a hostile act .
“ DO THE ENDS JUSTIFY THE MEANS ?”
One of the most debated ideas in philosophy is whether “ the ends justify the means ”. Machiavelli ’ s interpretation of this notion is that deceit and even violence may be necessary for a prince to use for the successful stabilization of power and introduction of new political institutions . We all know that in our modern world , violence should not be condoned . But looking back in time , one can see strong similarities between ideas discussed in The Prince and the actions of Lord Lucien .
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What would Monaco look like today if Jean II had stayed in power ? Would there even be a Monaco ?
According to Françoise de Bernardy ’ s acclaimed history of the Princes of Monaco , Lucien murdered Lord Jean II on 5 October 1505 . Lord Jean II was staying in Menton with Lucien and their mother , Claudine . At around midnight , the two brothers began to argue and Lucien stabbed Jean with his dagger . According to a written account given by Lucien to the Duke of Savoy , the argument broke out because Jean II was planning to dishonourably sell the stronghold of Monaco to the Venetians . Lucien also claimed that his brother taunted him and struck at him with his dagger before Lucien fought back in self-defence .
Did Lucien ’ s ends of allegedly saving Monaco from being sold to the Venetians justify the means of striking his brother down ? As Monaco ’ s leader , Lucien ended up preserving Monaco ’ s fragile independence during the siege by Genoa . What would Monaco look like today if Jean II had stayed in power ? Would there even be a Monaco ? No one can answer these questions .
Statue of Niccolò Macchiavelli ( Serie ‘ the Great Florentines ’), by Lorenzo Bartolini , 1845 . Uffizi gallery , Florence , Italy
Lucien ’ s time as ruler ended just as it began : with blood . In 1523 , Lucien was killed by his own nephew , Bartholomew Doria , at the Prince ’ s Palace in Monaco . But the assassination didn ’ t go quite as planned for the nephew . Following the violent demise of Lucien , instead of Doria being able proclaim himself as the new Lord of Monaco , a riot quickly broke out amongst the local people and Doria was chased out of Monaco . Lucien ’ s infant son , Honoré Grimaldi , succeeded his father as Lord of Monaco when he was only nine months old .
FROM ERASMUS TO TUPAC SHAKUR
The Oxford dictionary defines Machiavellian as “ cunning , scheming , and unscrupulous , especially in politics .” The Catholic Church once banned ‘ The Prince ’, placing it on their ‘ Index Librorum Prohibitorum ’. Famous philosophers , including Erasmus , viewed the book in a negative light .
On the other hand , entertainment icon Tupac Shakur studied ‘ The Prince ’ while he was in prison and used the book as an inspiration for his rap lyrics . Tupac even used the alias
‘ Makaveli ’ on one of his albums . The rapper was one of the world ’ s most influential activists fighting against inequality in the US and his musical commentary on social issues plaguing the United States still resonates with musicians and activists to this day .
After imagining lengthy political discussions by Lucien Grimaldi and Niccolò Machiavelli long ago in a castle in Menton , perhaps the idea that the Lord of Monaco influenced a book which has been shaking the world for the last five hundred years isn ’ t such a stretch .
In the current global climate filled with tragedy and war , the name ‘ Machiavelli ’ definitely comes to mind . It ’ s easy to discuss and debate the use of violence in politics from the safety and comfort of our own homes . But when people ’ s lives are truly at stake , it ’ s better to keep Machiavellian principles safely tucked away in a dusty library .
116 / Hello Monaco Summer — Autumn 2022 www . hellomonaco . com