Honoré I, Lord of Monaco

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Honoré I (16 December 1522 - 7 October 1581) was Lord of Monaco from August 22, 1523 to October 7, 1581.

Honoré was the youngest child of Lucien Grimaldi (1487-1523) and Jeanne de Pontevès-Cabanes. He became Lord of Monaco at the age of 9 months, upon the assassination of his father on August 22, 1523. A regent was appointed for the young Lord in the form of his uncle, Augustine Grimaldi (1482-1532). Under Honoré’s father, Monaco had been a subject of France and its King, Francis I. Augustine Grimaldi severed this relationship, and in the signing of the Treaties of Burgos and Tordesillas (1524), swore Monaco’s allegiance to Spain, and its King, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Monaco was therefor a protectorate of Spain, allowing the country to focus more on advancing and less on defending. The alliance with Spain would last until 1641, and weigh heavily on the financial situation of Monaco.

Augustine Grimaldi died on April 14, 1532, while Honoré was still a minor, and another regent was chosen for the young Lord. Nicholas Grimaldi held the position of regent for only 9 days. Étienne (Stephen) Grimaldi (d. 1561), from Genoa and known as “the Governor”, was chosen as regent on April 23, 1532. Etienne remained regent until December 16, 1540, when Honoré reached his majority, and was responsible for restorations made to the Church of St. Nicholas.

The reign of Honoré I was relatively calm and peaceful, and Honore was remarkable for his bravery, wisdom and valour.