Prince Albert's ancestors captured Monaco 'disguised as monks' in cunning invasion plot
PRINCE ALBERT of Monaco's ancestors descended on the coveted Rock of Monaco "disguised as monks", successfully capturing it and establishing the Grimaldi Family dynasty.
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Albert is currently in Tokyo to watch his sovereign state compete in the Olympic Games. Monaco has entered athletes into five areas of the games: athletics, swimming, judo, rowing and table tennis. A keen athlete himself, Albert married the former South African Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock in 2011.
The pair have had two children together - Prince Jacques and Princess Garbiella - and normally reside in Monaco Palace, although have been apart in recent weeks.
Built in 1191, the Genoese fortress marked the beginning of Albert's family rule.
The story of how the Grimaldi family - Albert's lineage - cemented their power on the rock is mired in drama.
It was explored during the BBC's documentary, 'Inside Monaco', in which narrator Fred Sirieix briefly retold the bizarre yet fascinating story.
He explained: "Nearly 800 years ago Prince Albert's ancestors captured this fortress with an army disguised as monks.
"The family has ruled Monaco ever since and have kept hold of the army."
It wasn't as simple as this, however, with a brief power struggle engulfing Albert's distant ancestor.
The man responsible for the Prince's current power and the Grimaldi family dynasty becoming synonymous with Monaco is Francesco Grimaldi.
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Known as Malizia - The Malicious One or The Cunning One - Francesco led an army of men disguised as Franciscan monks into the region.
They captured the iconic Rock of Monaco - a coveted possession of tribes and societies spanning all the way back to 2000 BC - and the first official conquest of Albert's Grimaldi dynasty.
The event was so important it was immortalised into the Monegasque coat of arms, with the supporters engraved into the badge and two friars armed with swords.
Added to the complications, however, Henry VI of the Holy Roman Empire had initially granted Monaco to the colony of Genoa in 1191.
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The Genoese - whom the Grimaldi Family were a part of - were distraught and furious with Francesco, and sought to reclaim the territory.
It became something of a family feud.
Shortly after, the Genoese launched an attack on Albert's ancestors.
The struggle would last for a century.
As the Genoese became preoccupied with other land battles in the late 1300s, the colony began to lose grip on Monaco.
It finally lost it after an unsuccessful conflict with the Crown of Aragon over Corsica.
However, 100 years later, in 1419, the Grimaldis purchased Monaco from the Crown of Aragon, becoming the official and undisputed rulers of the Rock of Monaco.