Charles III of Monaco
Prince of Monaco from 1856 to 1889
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Marriage and reign
While he was Hereditary Prince, Charles was married on 28 September 1846 in Brussels to Countess Antoinette de Mérode-Westerloo.
He succeeded his father Prince Florestan in 1856.
During his reign, the towns of Menton and Roquebrune, constituting some 80 percent of Monegasque territory, were formally ceded to France, paving the way for formal French recognition of Monaco's independence. Rebellions in these towns, aided by the Kingdom of Sardinia, had exhausted Monaco's military resources for decades.
The Principality was in dire need of cash flow, so Prince Charles and his mother, Princess Caroline, had the idea of erecting a casino. The Monte Carlo Casino was designed, according to the Prince's liking, in the German style and placed at the site of Les Spélugues. Monte Carlo (in English, Mount Charles) itself takes its name from Charles, after all its founder. Charles established a society (business) to run the Casino; this society is today the Société des bains de mer de Monaco.
Under Charles III, the Principality of Monaco increased its diplomatic activities; for example, in 1864, Charles III concluded a Treaty of Friendship with the Bey of Tunis, Muhammad III as-Sadiq, which also regulated trade and maritime issues.
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Honours
Monte Carlo is named after Charles III. It stands for the "Mount Charles" in Italian.
The Order of Saint-Charles was instituted on 15 March 1858, during the reign of Prince Charles III.
He received the following decorations and awards:
- Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav, with Collar, 27 March 1863 (Sweden-Norway)
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog, in Brilliants, 16 February 1865 (Denmark)
- Grand Cross of the Grand Ducal Hessian Order of Ludwig, 17 April 1865 (Grand Duchy of Hesse)
- Grand Cross of the Royal and Distinguished Order of Charles III, 17 February 1867 (Spain)
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Red Eagle, 7 July 1869 (Kingdom of Prussia)
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Zähringer Lion, 1869 (Grand Duchy of Baden)
- Officer of the Legion d'Honneur, for his service in the French Navy in the Franco-Prussian War (French Empire)
- Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold (civil division), 30 August 1874 (Belgium)
- Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, 1882 (Austria-Hungary)
- Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the White Eagle (civil division), 29 May 1883 (Kingdom of Serbia)
- Knight of the Supreme Order of Christ (Holy See)
- Grand Cross of the Royal Military Order of the Tower and Sword (Kingdom of Portugal)
Death
In his middle years his sight greatly weakened, and by the last decade of his life he had become almost totally blind. In fact, Dr. Thomas Henry Pickering wrote in 1882: "So far back as 1860, Prince Charles lost his eyesight".
He died at Château de Marchais on 10 September 1889. He was succeeded by his son Albert I of Monaco.
Coin
In 1966 Monaco released a 10 Francs silver coin in the memory of the 100th anniversary of Monte Carlo, portraying Prince Charles' III on its obverse. On 1 June 2016, fifteen thousand 2 euro coins were issued by Monaco; commemorating the 150th anniversary of the foundation of Monte Carlo by Charles III
In literature
Charles III is referenced, as Prince Charles Honoré, in a fictional entitled, The Fall of Prince Florestan of Monaco, by the British politician Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke. This work was one of satire and parody on a number of political characters of the day. It centered around a Cambridge-educated, half-Württemberg nephew of Charles III who comes to the throne by way of Charles III and the next two heirs being wiped out of existence. The upstart "Florestan II", a radical republican, boldly attempts to democratize Monaco. He fails and then is forced to leave the country.