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Monaco History
The history of Monaco moves around the family of Grimaldi. The area which is now Monaco has been inhabited since the Stone Age. Legend has it that during the Roman era a young Corsican Christian named Dévote was executed and her body placed in a boat for Africa. The boat drifted off course and ran aground on the coast of modern-day Monaco, where a state was founded in her honour. The first serious spate of building in the area - the perimeters of today's Prince's Palace - was undertaken by the Ligurians, a Ghibelline Genovese dynasty that ruled Monaco in the 13th century. In 1489 King Charles VIII of France recognised Monaco's independence. Although they were leading separate lives, and despite Monaco's brief flirtation with Spanish dominance between 1524 and 1641, France and Monaco remained close. A treaty signed in 1861 reinstated Monaco's independence, and bickering in recent decades has been restricted to the question of tax laws - Monaco refuses to tax French residents or French companies with their headquarters in Monaco. Monegasques modern day history is inseparable from that of its current ruler. In the 1949, prince Rainier III acceded to the throne at the age of 26. His fairy tale marriage to movie star Grace Kelly in 1956 was the icing on the cake of Monaco's glamorous image. In 1962 he instituted a National Council elected by native Monégasques, just 16% of the population. As all laws must be passed by the Prince, the Council is mostly for show, and in a country without income tax there's very little to discuss anyway. Besides, with 300 sunny days a year, voting would be a criminal waste of tanning time.
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