| | Excite UK - Travel - Europe - Monaco - History and Government |
 | | Franois Grimaldi led a group of partisans into the fortress of Monaco in 1297, which has been ruled by his family ever since; the Grimaldis have preserved their independence through a mixture of good luck and cunning diplomacy. |
| | Originally of Genoese extraction, the Grimaldis rose to prominence during the 12th century, when one member of the family became ambassador both to the court of the German Emperor Frederick II (Barbarossa) and to that of his Byzantine counterpart, Manuel Commenus. |
| | This Machiavellian approach – indeed, Machiavelli himself was in Monaco in the early 16th century to sign a treaty on behalf of Florence – paid dividends in 1612 when Honoré II was granted the title of prince by the French crown. |
| www.excite.co.uk /travel/guides/europe/monaco/HistoryGovernment (542 words) |
