Florestan I, Prince of Monaco

Florestan I
Prince of Monaco
Reign	2 October 1841 – 20 June 1856
Predecessor	Honoré V
Successor	Charles III
Born	(1785-10-10)10 October 1785 Paris, France
Died	20 June 1856(1856-06-20) (aged 70) Paris, French Empire
Burial	Saint Nicholas Cathedral
Spouse	Maria Caroline Gibert de Lametz
Issue	Charles III, Prince of Monaco Florestine, Duchess of Urach
Full name Tancrède Florestan Roger Louis Grimaldi
House	House of Grimaldi
Father	Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco
Mother	Louise d'Aumont

Florestan I, Prince of Monaco (10 October 1785 in Paris – 20 June 1856) was Prince of Monaco and Duke of Valentinois from 2 October 1841 until his death. He was born Tancrède Florestan Roger Louis Grimaldi the second son of Prince Honoré IV and Louise d'Aumont Mazarin, and succeeded to the throne on the death of his brother, Honoré V.

Life and reign

Florestan was never prepared to assume the role of prince—he had been an actor in the Théâtre de l'Ambigu-Comique—and the real power during his reign lay in the hands of his wife, also an actress, Maria Caroline Gibert de Lametz, whom he married in Commercy on 27 November 1816. For some time, she was able to alleviate the difficult economic situation stemming from Monaco's new position as a protectorate of the Kingdom of Sardinia, then a regional power, rather than of France. The princely couple also attempted to meet local demands for greater democracy and offered two constitutions to the local population, but these were rejected, particularly by the people of Menton. When they saw that their efforts were doomed to failure, they handed over power to their son Charles (later Prince Charles III).

This was, however, too little, too late. Encouraged by the events of 1848, the towns of Menton and Roquebrune revolted, and declared themselves independent. They had hoped to be annexed by Sardinia, but this did not occur, and the towns remained in a state of political limbo until they were finally ceded to France in 1861, under Charles III.

Death and succession, 1856

Despite his good intentions, by the time of Florestan's death in Paris in 1856, Monaco was a country divided with few prospects for financial prosperity. It remained for his heir to remedy the situation.