The
House of Grimaldi, descended from
Otto Canella, a statesman from the
Republic of Genoa, and taking their name from his son
Grimaldo, were an ancient and prominent Guelphic Genoese family. Members of this family, in the course of the civil strife in Genoa between the
Guelphs and Ghibellines, were banned from Genoa in 1271 and took refuge in Monaco.
François Grimaldi seized the
Rock of Monaco in 1297, starting the Grimaldi dynasty, under the Genoese sovereignty. The Grimaldis acquired
Menton in 1346 and
Roquebrune in 1355, enlarging their possessions. These two towns (some 95% of the country's territory) were eventually ceded to
France by the
Franco-Monégasque Treaty in 1861. The Grimaldis used the title of Lord until 1612. Then, Lord
Honoré II started using the title of Prince, thereby becoming the first Prince of Monaco. Afterwards, Honoré II secured recognition of his independent
sovereignty from
Spain in 1633, and then from France by the
Treaty of Péronne in 1641. Since then the area has remained under the control of the Grimaldi family to the present day, except when under French control from 24 February 1793 to 17 May 1814. ==Rulers of Monaco==