History of Monaco

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The early history of Monaco is primarily concerned with the protective and strategic value of the Rock of Monaco, the area's chief geological landmark, which served first as a shelter for ancient peoples and later as a fortress. Part of Liguria's history since the fall of the Roman Empire, from the 14th to the early 15th century the area was contested for primarily political reasons. Since that point, excepting a brief period of French occupation, it has remained steadily under the control of the House of Grimaldi.^[1]

The early history of Monaco as a state, has its origins the Kingdom of Genoa. The Holy Roman Empire granted Monaco to the Genoese. Later, the Grimaldi family which were a Genoese family, occupied it in the 13th century and later purchased it and ruled it as principality. Over its history it has had differing levels of autonomy from a parent state, which at times included Kingdom of Genoa, Crown of Aragon, Spain, and France over the centuries. It was incorporated into France in the French revolution, but later regained some autonomy as a protectorate of the Kingdom Sardinia in the 19th Century. In the 1848 two towns ceded and these were lost to France in 1861, but Monaco was not incorporated into France or Italy. It focused on tourism starting in the 1860s and was taken over by Axis powers in WW2. After liberation, it worked to secure further independence from France, and was recognized by the UN in 1993. It has relations with, but is not a part of the European Union but does use the Euro currency in the 21st century.