François Grimaldi

Who is François Grimaldi?

François Grimaldi, known by the nickname "Malizia" ("the Malicious" or "the Cunning"), was a Genoese nobleman and leader of the Guelph faction during the medieval conflict between Guelphs and Ghibellines in Liguria. On the night of 8 January 1297, disguised as a Franciscan friar seeking shelter, he and a small band of armed followers talked their way into the fortress atop the Rock of Monaco, then held by Ghibelline forces, and seized it by surprise together with his cousin Rainier I of Cagnes. Although this first occupation lasted only a few years before the fortress changed hands again, the episode is regarded as the founding act of the House of Grimaldi's long association with Monaco. It is commemorated on the Monégasque coat of arms, which shows two sword-wielding friars beneath the motto "Deo Juvante" ("With God's help"). More than a century later, in 1419, Grimaldi descendants purchased the Rock outright, beginning the unbroken rule of the Grimaldi family that continues in Monaco to this day.

Sources: Government of Monaco (gouv.mc), "François Grimaldi, also known as Malizia" — official Personalities/History and Heritage page · Consulate General of Monaco, "History" · Monaco Life, "How the Grimaldis came to live on the Rock"