History of Monaco

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "History of Monaco" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (December 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

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 in the Republic of Genoa. The Holy Roman Empire granted Monaco to the Genoese. Later, the Genoese family of Grimaldi held it throughout the 13th century and later purchased it to rule as a principality. Over its history, it has enjoyed differing levels of autonomy from a parent state, which at times included the Republic of Genoa, the Crown of Aragon, Spain, and France. It was incorporated into France after the French Revolution, but later regained some autonomy as a protectorate of the Kingdom of Sardinia in the 19th Century. In 1848, the two cities of Menton and Roquebrune (Mentone and Roccabruna) seceded and were later lost to France, but Monaco remained independent. France bought Mentone and Roccabruna, and agreed to respect Monaco's sovereignty. Despite the loss of the two towns, from the 1860s onward its economy was focused on tourism and the country enjoyed stability until its territory was occupied by the Axis powers during World War II. After liberation, Monaco worked to secure further independence from France, and was recognized by the UN in 1993. It is not part of the European Union but uses the Euro currency.