Monaco Succession Crisis of 1918
Encyclopedia
The Monaco Succession Crisis of 1918 arose because France objected to the prospect of a German national inheriting the throne of Monaco, a nation which neighboured France on its Mediterranean coast. Albert I, Sovereign Prince of Monaco had only one legitimate child, the Hereditary Prince Louis
, then heir apparent
to the principality. As World War I drew to a close, Prince Louis, at the age of forty-eight, remained (legally) childless, unmarried, and unbetrothed
.
next of kin
was Prince Albert I's first cousin Wilhelm, 2nd Duke of Urach
(1864–1928). He was born in Monaco
in 1864, and was largely raised in Monaco as a francophone
Roman Catholic by his mother after her widowhood in 1869. He was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Saint-Charles. He was, however, a Kingdom of Württemberg
national
. His adult domicile
and main asset
s (including Lichtenstein Castle
) were all in Württemberg. In 1871 Württemberg became a part of the German Empire
, and by 1911 this coloured the status of Wilhelm's claim to Monaco.
The duke, a descendant through a morganatic marriage
of the royal family
of Wurttemberg, was the only son of Albert's aunt, Princess Florestine of Monaco
. Although he was ineligible to inherit the crown of his patrilineal
ancestors in Germany, given the line of succession to the Monegasque throne
at that time, there was every likelihood that the principality would pass by lawful inheritance into Wilhelm's "German hands" upon the death of Prince Louis. However, given the bitter relations between France and Germany at that time — socio-political
legacy of the Franco-Prussian War
of 1870–71 and then of the Great War
of 1914-18 — France deemed it unacceptable for a country over which it had exercised de facto or de jure hegemony
, intermittently since the 17th century and consistently for half a century, to fall into the hands of a German aristocrat
.
Moreover, while the House of Grimaldi
had close ties to France due not only to geographical proximity, but also to possession of estates (vaster by far than the territory of the principality) and financial investments there, nothing officially prevented the dynasty's political or cultural associations from focusing elsewhere. Moreover, the hereditary principle allocated monarchies according to one form or another of proximity of blood
, and the Grimaldis' hitherto exclusive control of Monaco's dynastic marital policy was what threatened to enthrone a German duke on France's border, even after the Empire's defeat in war. Just as the ruling families of Britain, Russia, Belgium, and the Netherlands had all become patrilineally German by the twentieth century due to the propensity of monarchical heiresses, seeking dynastically equal marriage
s, to choose princes consort
from among Germany's many minor princely families, Monaco was on the verge of the same fate. Although the Grimaldis did not require inter-marriage with royalty by law as German principalities typically did, by custom they never married subjects of their own realm, and no Monégasque reigning prince or heir had wed a French consort
in more than a century.
By 1910 France also worried that Monaco might become a future U-boat
base only 150 km from the important French naval base at Toulon
. Louis had served in the French army for most of his life, and was a Brigadier General
by 1918. In contrast, Wilhelm had joined the XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps
in 1890, and had commanded the German 26th Division
in 1914-17.
The "crisis" therefore hinged upon legitimate succession on the one hand, and France's security policy on the other.
protests resulted in the Constitution of Monaco
. This led to the end of absolutism, at least on paper, and also as a part of the overall resolution the Duke of Urach's claim was relegated behind that of Albert's newly-recognised grand-daughter Charlotte Louvet (see below).
: Not only did it require Monaco to conduct its foreign relations in consultation with or through France, but it obliged the dynasty to obtain French authorization for marital alliances or changes in succession, and declared that should the throne become vacant Monaco would become an official protectorate
under French jurisdiction — while retaining nominal independence.
. Subsequently, Louis and Marie had a daughter out-of-wedlock
, Charlotte Louvet, who remained in the custody of her mother during her minority
. Nonetheless, Louis recognised her as his child in 1900.
A Monégasque
ordinance of 15 May 1911 acknowledged the child as Louis' daughter, and admitted her into the Grimaldi
dynasty. However this was discovered to be in procedural violation of the statute
s of 1882. The ordinance was therefore invalid, and the sovereign prince was so notified by the National Council of Monaco
in 1918. As a consequence, an amendment of 30 October 1918 modified the law to allow the reign
ing prince or, with the monarch's consent, the Hereditary Prince of Monaco
(the heir presumptive
, whether a child of the reigning prince or not), to adopt
a child, from within or without the princely dynasty, in the absence of legitimate issue of his own. The law stipulated that the adopted child would fully inherit all the rights, titles and prerogatives of the person who adopted him, including succession rights to the crown
. The amendment also provided that, should the prince have legitimate issue after such an adoption, the adopted child would follow such issue in the order of succession
. Another ordinance of 31 October 1918 stated the conditions for an adoption.
and the Second Battle of the Marne
, France persuaded Prince Albert to sign a restrictive treaty in Paris on 17 July 1918. Article 2 stipulated that the accession
of future princes of Monaco were to be subject to French approval, thereby limiting Monaco's sovereignty:
"Measures concerning the international relations of the Principality shall always be the subject of prior consultations between the Government of the Principality and the French Government. The same shall apply to measures concerning directly or indirectly the exercise of a regency or succession to the throne, which shall, whether by marriage or adoption or otherwise, pass only to a person who is of French or Monégasque nationality and is approved by the French Government."
, the French president Poincaré
, and the mayor of Monaco. There is a doubt on the legality of the adoption
. The Monégasque civil code (articles 240 and 243) required that the adopting party be of at least age fifty and the adoptee of at least age twenty-one. The 1918 ordinance changed the adoptee's minimum age to eighteen (Charlotte was twenty at the time of adoption) but not the other age limit, Prince Louis then being only aged forty-eight.
Charlotte was created Duchess of Valentinois by Albert I on 20 May 1919, and on 1 August 1922, following Louis II's accession on 22 June of that year, she was officially designated the Hereditary Princess of Monaco as her father's heiress presumptive. In 1920 she married comte Pierre de Polignac
, who belonged to a junior branch of a prominent French ducal family. Prior to the wedding, a Monégasque ordinance of 18 March 1920 had changed Pierre's name and coat of arms
to those of Grimaldi. On 20 March, he was allowed to take the title of Duke of Valentinois
(his French prefix of comte
was, in fact, a courtesy title
). Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois
and Pierre Grimaldi had a daughter, Princess Antoinette, baroness de Massy
, and then a son, Rainier, marquis des Baux.
Duke Wilhelm von Urach, along with the other adult descendants of Princess Florestine, renounced their dynastic rights in 1924, but did so in favor of a French cousin, the comte de Chabrillan, who was descended from Prince Joseph of Monaco
. The count was a more remote, female-line descendant of the Grimaldi dynasty, and was next in line to the Monégasque throne after the Urachs according to the pre-1920 order of succession. Thus, while the duke voluntarily withdrew as a claimant to Monaco's throne (he had also been considered for the thrones of Lithuania
and Alsace-Lorraine
, although these monarchical opportunities never materialized), he did not choose to recognize Monaco's selected heir – perhaps unsurprisingly, since the 1918 law and treaty directly intruded upon his hereditary rights, excluding him from a throne for no personal act of dereliction on his part, and without compensation.
In 1930 the Chicago Daily Tribune reported that Wilhelm's third son Albrecht
had met with French officials in Paris, hoping to be approved by them as Louis' heir. 'He believes that the scandal surrounding Princess Charlotte's divorce "will help him win his case." He is now in Paris in "an attempt to make good his claim". .. The Urach branch of the family assert "that according to the Monaco constitution such an adoption becomes illegal until all members of the family approve it." The Urachs, a "German branch of the family," said they were never asked for their approval and "never approved of the adoption".'
regime.
Louis II died on 9 May 1949. The Principality of Monaco passed to Rainier III
. In the absence of an heir male, the ducal titles of Valentinois and Estouteville
became extinct in French nobiliary
law. Before Rainier married Grace Kelly
in April 1956, he notified the French government
of his plans; the French ministry of foreign affairs replied with a message of official congratulations.
Louis II, Prince of Monaco
Louis II was Prince of Monaco and Duke of Valentinois from 27 June 1922 until 9 May 1949.-Early years:Born Louis Honoré Charles Antoine Grimaldi in Baden-Baden, Germany, he was the only child of Prince Albert I of Monaco , and Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton...
, then heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
to the principality. As World War I drew to a close, Prince Louis, at the age of forty-eight, remained (legally) childless, unmarried, and unbetrothed
Engagement
An engagement or betrothal is a promise to marry, and also the period of time between proposal and marriage which may be lengthy or trivial. During this period, a couple is said to be betrothed, affianced, engaged to be married, or simply engaged...
.
Dynastic dilemma
Louis' nearest legitimateLegitimacy (law)
At common law, legitimacy is the status of a child who is born to parents who are legally married to one another; and of a child who is born shortly after the parents' divorce. In canon and in civil law, the offspring of putative marriages have been considered legitimate children...
next of kin
Next of kin
Next of kin is a term with many interpretations depending on the jurisdiction being referred to. In some jurisdictions, such as the United States, it is used to describe a person's closest living blood relative or relatives...
was Prince Albert I's first cousin Wilhelm, 2nd Duke of Urach
Mindaugas II of Lithuania
Prince Wilhelm of Urach, Count of Württemberg, 2nd Duke of Urach was a German prince who was elected King of Lithuania with the regnal name Mindaugas II on 11 July 1918...
(1864–1928). He was born in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
in 1864, and was largely raised in Monaco as a francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
Roman Catholic by his mother after her widowhood in 1869. He was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Saint-Charles. He was, however, a Kingdom of Württemberg
Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg was a state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located in present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which came into existence in 1495...
national
Nationality
Nationality is membership of a nation or sovereign state, usually determined by their citizenship, but sometimes by ethnicity or place of residence, or based on their sense of national identity....
. His adult domicile
Domicile (law)
In law, domicile is the status or attribution of being a permanent resident in a particular jurisdiction. A person can remain domiciled in a jurisdiction even after they have left it, if they have maintained sufficient links with that jurisdiction or have not displayed an intention to leave...
and main asset
Asset
In financial accounting, assets are economic resources. Anything tangible or intangible that is capable of being owned or controlled to produce value and that is held to have positive economic value is considered an asset...
s (including Lichtenstein Castle
Lichtenstein Castle
Lichtenstein Castle is situated on a cliff located near Honau in the Swabian Alb, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.Historically there has been a castle on the site since around 1200. It was twice destroyed, once in the Reichskriegs war of 1311 and again by the city-state of Reutlingen in 1381...
) were all in Württemberg. In 1871 Württemberg became a part of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
, and by 1911 this coloured the status of Wilhelm's claim to Monaco.
The duke, a descendant through a morganatic marriage
Morganatic marriage
In the context of European royalty, a morganatic marriage is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage...
of the royal family
Royal family
A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...
of Wurttemberg, was the only son of Albert's aunt, Princess Florestine of Monaco
Princess Florestine of Monaco
Princess Florestine Gabrielle Antoinette of Monaco was the youngest child and only daughter of Florestan I, Prince of Monaco and his wife Maria Caroline Gibert de Lametz...
. Although he was ineligible to inherit the crown of his patrilineal
Patrilineality
Patrilineality is a system in which one belongs to one's father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritance of property, names or titles through the male line as well....
ancestors in Germany, given the line of succession to the Monegasque throne
Line of succession to the Monegasque Throne
The line of succession to the Monegasque throne passes to the descendants of the reigning Prince of Monaco in accordance with male-preference primogeniture...
at that time, there was every likelihood that the principality would pass by lawful inheritance into Wilhelm's "German hands" upon the death of Prince Louis. However, given the bitter relations between France and Germany at that time — socio-political
Political sociology
Contemporary political sociology involves much more than the study of the relations between state and society . Where a typical research question in political sociology might have been: "Why do so few American citizens choose to vote?" or even, "What difference does it make if women get elected?" ...
legacy of the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
of 1870–71 and then of the Great War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
of 1914-18 — France deemed it unacceptable for a country over which it had exercised de facto or de jure hegemony
Regional hegemony
Regional hegemony is a concept in international relations which refers to the influence exercised over neighboring countries by an independently powerful nation, the regional hegemon...
, intermittently since the 17th century and consistently for half a century, to fall into the hands of a German aristocrat
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
.
Moreover, while the House of Grimaldi
House of Grimaldi
The House of Grimaldi is associated with the history of the Republic of Genoa and of the Principality of Monaco.-History:The Grimaldi family descends from Grimaldo, a Genoese statesman at the time of the early Crusades. He might have been a son of Otto Canella, a consul of the Republic of Genoa in...
had close ties to France due not only to geographical proximity, but also to possession of estates (vaster by far than the territory of the principality) and financial investments there, nothing officially prevented the dynasty's political or cultural associations from focusing elsewhere. Moreover, the hereditary principle allocated monarchies according to one form or another of proximity of blood
Proximity of blood
Proximity of blood, or closeness in degree of kinship, is one of the ways to determine hereditary succession based on genealogy. It was at loggerheads with primogeniture in numerous medieval succession disputes....
, and the Grimaldis' hitherto exclusive control of Monaco's dynastic marital policy was what threatened to enthrone a German duke on France's border, even after the Empire's defeat in war. Just as the ruling families of Britain, Russia, Belgium, and the Netherlands had all become patrilineally German by the twentieth century due to the propensity of monarchical heiresses, seeking dynastically equal marriage
Equal marriage
Equal marriage can refer to:*The custom or legal requirement of Ebenbürtigkeit practiced by royalty in Europe and elsewhere; see Royal intermarriage....
s, to choose princes consort
Prince consort
A prince consort is the husband of a queen regnant who is not himself a king in his own right.Current examples include the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , and Prince Henrik of Denmark .In recognition of his status, a prince consort may be given a formal...
from among Germany's many minor princely families, Monaco was on the verge of the same fate. Although the Grimaldis did not require inter-marriage with royalty by law as German principalities typically did, by custom they never married subjects of their own realm, and no Monégasque reigning prince or heir had wed a French consort
Princess consort
Princess consort is a title or an informal designation normally given to the wife of a sovereign prince. Since a male sovereign ruler is generally titled as a king and not a prince, the title of princess consort is not widely used. More rarely, it may be given to the spouse of a king, if the more...
in more than a century.
By 1910 France also worried that Monaco might become a future U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
base only 150 km from the important French naval base at Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
. Louis had served in the French army for most of his life, and was a Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
by 1918. In contrast, Wilhelm had joined the XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps
XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps
The XIII Army Corps was a corps of the Imperial German Army. It was, effectively, also the army of the Kingdom of Württemberg, which had been integrated in 1871 into the Prussian Army command structure, as had the armies of most German states...
in 1890, and had commanded the German 26th Division
26th Division (German Empire)
The 26th Division , formally the 26th Division , was a unit of the Prussian/German Army. It was headquartered in Stuttgart, the capital of the Kingdom of Württemberg. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XIII Corps The 26th Division (26. Division), formally the 26th Division (1st...
in 1914-17.
The "crisis" therefore hinged upon legitimate succession on the one hand, and France's security policy on the other.
Constitution of Monaco, 1911
In 1910-11 the peaceful Monegasque RevolutionMonegasque Revolution
The Monegasque Revolution of 1910 was a series of confrontations by the subjects of Monaco against their ruler, Prince Albert I. It led to the end of absolute monarchy with the promulgation of the Constitution of Monaco the following year....
protests resulted in the Constitution of Monaco
Constitution of Monaco
The Constitution of Monaco, first adopted in 1911 after the Monegasque Revolution and heavily revised by Prince Rainier III on December 17, 1962, outlines three branches of government, including several administrative offices and a number of councils, who share advisory and legislative power with...
. This led to the end of absolutism, at least on paper, and also as a part of the overall resolution the Duke of Urach's claim was relegated behind that of Albert's newly-recognised grand-daughter Charlotte Louvet (see below).
No sovereign: no sovereignty
The solution was an unequal treaty between France and Monaco which formalized and rendered permanent the latter's position as a client stateClient state
Client state is one of several terms used to describe the economic, political and/or military subordination of one state to a more powerful state in international affairs...
: Not only did it require Monaco to conduct its foreign relations in consultation with or through France, but it obliged the dynasty to obtain French authorization for marital alliances or changes in succession, and declared that should the throne become vacant Monaco would become an official protectorate
Protectorate
In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...
under French jurisdiction — while retaining nominal independence.
Birth and recognition of Charlotte
Louis, while serving in the French army, befriended the laundress of his regiment, who asked him to look after her daughter, Marie Juliette LouvetMarie Juliette Louvet
Marie Juliette Louvet was the mistress of the then unmarried Prince Louis II of Monaco and was the mother of his only child, Princess Charlotte of Monaco....
. Subsequently, Louis and Marie had a daughter out-of-wedlock
Legitimacy (law)
At common law, legitimacy is the status of a child who is born to parents who are legally married to one another; and of a child who is born shortly after the parents' divorce. In canon and in civil law, the offspring of putative marriages have been considered legitimate children...
, Charlotte Louvet, who remained in the custody of her mother during her minority
Minor (law)
In law, a minor is a person under a certain age — the age of majority — which legally demarcates childhood from adulthood; the age depends upon jurisdiction and application, but is typically 18...
. Nonetheless, Louis recognised her as his child in 1900.
A Monégasque
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
ordinance of 15 May 1911 acknowledged the child as Louis' daughter, and admitted her into the Grimaldi
House of Grimaldi
The House of Grimaldi is associated with the history of the Republic of Genoa and of the Principality of Monaco.-History:The Grimaldi family descends from Grimaldo, a Genoese statesman at the time of the early Crusades. He might have been a son of Otto Canella, a consul of the Republic of Genoa in...
dynasty. However this was discovered to be in procedural violation of the statute
Statute
A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a state, city, or county. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. The word is often used to distinguish law made by legislative bodies from case law, decided by courts, and regulations...
s of 1882. The ordinance was therefore invalid, and the sovereign prince was so notified by the National Council of Monaco
National Council of Monaco
The National Council is the parliament of the Principality of Monaco. Its 24 members are elected from lists by universal suffrage for five-year terms, and though it may act independently of the Prince, he may dissolve it at any time, provided that new elections be held within three months.The...
in 1918. As a consequence, an amendment of 30 October 1918 modified the law to allow the reign
Reign
A reign is the term used to describe the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation or of a people . In most hereditary monarchies and some elective monarchies A reign is the term used to describe the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office...
ing prince or, with the monarch's consent, the Hereditary Prince of Monaco
Hereditary Prince of Monaco
The Hereditary Prince' of Monaco is the title given to the heir apparent or heir presumptive of the Monegasque throne. Traditionally, a male Hereditary Prince is also given the title Marquis of Baux...
(the heir presumptive
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
, whether a child of the reigning prince or not), to adopt
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
a child, from within or without the princely dynasty, in the absence of legitimate issue of his own. The law stipulated that the adopted child would fully inherit all the rights, titles and prerogatives of the person who adopted him, including succession rights to the crown
Line of succession to the Monegasque Throne
The line of succession to the Monegasque throne passes to the descendants of the reigning Prince of Monaco in accordance with male-preference primogeniture...
. The amendment also provided that, should the prince have legitimate issue after such an adoption, the adopted child would follow such issue in the order of succession
Order of succession
An order of succession is a formula or algorithm that determines who inherits an office upon the death, resignation, or removal of its current occupant.-Monarchies and nobility:...
. Another ordinance of 31 October 1918 stated the conditions for an adoption.
French Treaty of 1918
While the adoption process was underway, and given the failures of the German Spring OffensiveSpring Offensive
The 1918 Spring Offensive or Kaiserschlacht , also known as the Ludendorff Offensive, was a series of German attacks along the Western Front during World War I, beginning on 21 March 1918, which marked the deepest advances by either side since 1914...
and the Second Battle of the Marne
Second Battle of the Marne
The Second Battle of the Marne , or Battle of Reims was the last major German Spring Offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. The German attack failed when an Allied counterattack led by France overwhelmed the Germans, inflicting severe casualties...
, France persuaded Prince Albert to sign a restrictive treaty in Paris on 17 July 1918. Article 2 stipulated that the accession
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
of future princes of Monaco were to be subject to French approval, thereby limiting Monaco's sovereignty:
"Measures concerning the international relations of the Principality shall always be the subject of prior consultations between the Government of the Principality and the French Government. The same shall apply to measures concerning directly or indirectly the exercise of a regency or succession to the throne, which shall, whether by marriage or adoption or otherwise, pass only to a person who is of French or Monégasque nationality and is approved by the French Government."
Charlotte's adoption and status as heiress
Charlotte was formally adopted by her own father Louis at the Monégasque embassy in Paris on 16 May 1919, in the presence of her grandfather Albert IAlbert I, Prince of Monaco
Albert I was Prince of Monaco and Duke of Valentinois from 10 September 1889 until his death.-Early life:...
, the French president Poincaré
Raymond Poincaré
Raymond Poincaré was a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France on five separate occasions and as President of France from 1913 to 1920. Poincaré was a conservative leader primarily committed to political and social stability...
, and the mayor of Monaco. There is a doubt on the legality of the adoption
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
. The Monégasque civil code (articles 240 and 243) required that the adopting party be of at least age fifty and the adoptee of at least age twenty-one. The 1918 ordinance changed the adoptee's minimum age to eighteen (Charlotte was twenty at the time of adoption) but not the other age limit, Prince Louis then being only aged forty-eight.
Charlotte was created Duchess of Valentinois by Albert I on 20 May 1919, and on 1 August 1922, following Louis II's accession on 22 June of that year, she was officially designated the Hereditary Princess of Monaco as her father's heiress presumptive. In 1920 she married comte Pierre de Polignac
Pierre de Polignac
Prince Pierre of Monaco, Duke of Valentinois was the father of Rainier III of Monaco, and thus the paternal grandfather of Albert II of Monaco...
, who belonged to a junior branch of a prominent French ducal family. Prior to the wedding, a Monégasque ordinance of 18 March 1920 had changed Pierre's name and coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
to those of Grimaldi. On 20 March, he was allowed to take the title of Duke of Valentinois
Duke of Valentinois
Duke of Valentinois , formerly Count of Valentinois, is a title of nobility, originally in the French peerage. It is currently one of the many hereditary titles claimed by the Prince of Monaco despite its extinction in French law in 1949...
(his French prefix of comte
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
was, in fact, a courtesy title
Courtesy title
A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer. These styles are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the relatives do not themselves hold substantive titles...
). Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois
Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois
Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois , was the daughter of Louis II, Prince of Monaco, and the mother of Prince Rainier III...
and Pierre Grimaldi had a daughter, Princess Antoinette, baroness de Massy
Princess Antoinette, Baroness of Massy
Princess Antoinette of Monaco, Countess of Polignac, Baroness of Massy was a non-dynastic member of the princely family of Monaco and the elder sister of Prince Rainier III and aunt of Albert II, Prince of Monaco...
, and then a son, Rainier, marquis des Baux.
Duke Wilhelm von Urach, along with the other adult descendants of Princess Florestine, renounced their dynastic rights in 1924, but did so in favor of a French cousin, the comte de Chabrillan, who was descended from Prince Joseph of Monaco
Prince Joseph of Monaco
Prince Joseph of Monaco was a Monagasque prince and brother of Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco.-Biography:...
. The count was a more remote, female-line descendant of the Grimaldi dynasty, and was next in line to the Monégasque throne after the Urachs according to the pre-1920 order of succession. Thus, while the duke voluntarily withdrew as a claimant to Monaco's throne (he had also been considered for the thrones of Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
and Alsace-Lorraine
Alsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
, although these monarchical opportunities never materialized), he did not choose to recognize Monaco's selected heir – perhaps unsurprisingly, since the 1918 law and treaty directly intruded upon his hereditary rights, excluding him from a throne for no personal act of dereliction on his part, and without compensation.
In 1930 the Chicago Daily Tribune reported that Wilhelm's third son Albrecht
Albrecht von Urach
Prince Albrecht of Urach was a German nobleman, artist and wartime author, journalist, linguist and diplomat.-Background:...
had met with French officials in Paris, hoping to be approved by them as Louis' heir. 'He believes that the scandal surrounding Princess Charlotte's divorce "will help him win his case." He is now in Paris in "an attempt to make good his claim". .. The Urach branch of the family assert "that according to the Monaco constitution such an adoption becomes illegal until all members of the family approve it." The Urachs, a "German branch of the family," said they were never asked for their approval and "never approved of the adoption".'
Renunciation by Charlotte
By a declaration of 30 May 1944 in Paris, Charlotte ceded her rights to her only son (with a reservation if he should pre-decease), and Rainier accepted in Paris on 1 June. An ordinance of 2 June 1944 acknowledged and confirmed the Sovereign Prince's assent to those declarations, and Rainier was made Hereditary Prince. When the Journal de Monaco published the ordinance on 22 June 1944, it added: "His Excellency the comte de Maleville, minister of Monaco in France, has been asked to inform the French government of this event, pursuant to the clauses of the treaty of 17 July 1918." The French government at the time was still the VichyVichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
regime.
Louis II died on 9 May 1949. The Principality of Monaco passed to Rainier III
Rainier III, Prince of Monaco
Rainier III, Prince of Monaco , styled His Serene Highness The Sovereign Prince of Monaco, ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest ruling monarchs of the 20th century.Though he was best known outside of Europe for having married American...
. In the absence of an heir male, the ducal titles of Valentinois and Estouteville
Duke of Estouteville
Duke of Estouteville was a title in the French nobility that is claimed today by the Prince of Monaco.It was created in 1537 by King Francis I of France for Adrienne d'Estouteville and her husband Francis de Bourbon, Count of St. Pol , son of Francis, Count of Vendôme and his wife Marie of...
became extinct in French nobiliary
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
law. Before Rainier married Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly
Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, to become Princess consort of Monaco, styled as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, and commonly referred to as Princess Grace.After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of...
in April 1956, he notified the French government
French Fourth Republic
The French Fourth Republic was the republican government of France between 1946 and 1958, governed by the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Third Republic, which was in place before World War II, and suffered many of the same problems...
of his plans; the French ministry of foreign affairs replied with a message of official congratulations.