| Jacques I | |
|---|---|
| Jacques I of Monaco Portrait by Nicolas de Largillière |
|
|
|
|
| Reign | December 29, 1731 – November 7, 1733 (1 year, 313 days) |
| Predecessor | Louise Hippolyte |
| Successor | Honoré III |
| Spouse | Louise Hippolyte, Princess of Monaco |
| Issue | |
| Charlotte, Abbess of Convent of the Visitation Honoré III, Prince of Monaco |
|
| Full name | |
| Jacques François Léonor Goyon de Matignon Grimaldi | |
| Father | Jacques Goyon de Matignon |
| Mother | Charlotte Goyon de Matignon |
| Born | 21 November 1689 Torigni-sur-Vire, Normandy, France |
| Died | 23 April 1751 (aged 61) Hôtel Matignon, Paris, France |
Jacques Goyon de Matignon (Jacques François Léonor; 21 November 1689 – 23 April 1751) was count of Thorigny, Prince of Monaco as Jacques I and the fourth Duke of Valentinois from 1731 until 1733.
Jacques came from an ancient Norman family. "Thorigny" is now called Torigni-sur-Vire, where the Mairie, or town hall, is the former family chateau. His uncle was Marshal of France Charles-Auguste de Goyon-Matignon.
He was son of Jacques Goyon de Matignon, jure uxoris Count of Thorigny, and Charlotte Goyon de Matignon, Countess of Thorigny.
When Antonio I of Monaco and his wife Marie de Lorraine was looking for a wedding partner for his daughter and heir Louise Hippolyte of Monaco, the family proposed him as a candidate. The prospect of his own Principality was very attractive and his candidacy was supported by King Louis XIV of France, who wanted to consolidate the French influence in Monaco.
Jacques and Louise Hippolyte married on 20 October 1715 and had eight children. The wedding ceremony was the first official act that the five year old King Louis XV carried out during the Regency of the Duke of Orléans.
The marriage wasn't very happy. Jacques preferred to stay more in Versailles than in Monaco, where he had several mistresses.
After the death of Antonio I of Monaco, Louise Hippolyte traveled from Paris to Monaco on April 4, 1731 and received an enthusiast reception by the population. When Jacques joined her few times later, the reception was much colder.
At the end of 1731, Louise Hippolyte died of smallpox. Jacques I neglected the affairs of state and, under pressure from the population, had to leave the country in May 1732. He abdicated in favor of his son Honoré the next year.
He spent the last years of his life in Versailles and Paris. It was at Versailles that Mademoiselle du Maine, a grand daughter of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan was proposed as a wife for the widowed Prince; despite having a large dowry, (she was the daughter of the duc du Maine and his wife, the formidable Anne Louise Bénédicte de Bourbon) the marriage never materialised and the Prince never married again.
His Paris residence was named after him Hôtel Matignon and is today the official residence of the Prime Minister of France. Prior to his death, he was a frequent visitor to Versailles with his son.
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Louise Hippolyte |
Sovereign Prince of Monaco 29 December 1731 – 7 November 1733 |
Succeeded by Honoré III |
| Monegasque royalty | ||
| Preceded by Marie of Lorraine |
Prince consort of Monaco 20 February – 29 December 1731 |
Succeeded by Maria Caterina Brignole |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||
|
|||||