Jacques does not take the Grimaldi name

Louise Hippolyte was the reigning Princess of Monaco.
Her mother, Marie de Lorraine, Princess Consort of Monaco, left Monaco to go to France. She joined her father, the Comte d'Armagnac. They chose the future husband of Louise Hippolyte. He was Jacques de Matignon, Comte de Thorigny.

Suppose Jacques does not agree to change his name and take the name of Grimaldi. What happens then?
 
Well, according to the will of Jean 1er (1454) L-H would be ineligible for the Monegasque throne if she married him. Two options, therefore, present themselves: either L-H marries someone more amenable, or Monaco goes to a younger line. The only other suggested husband that I can find was the "Chevalier Grimaldi d'Antibes". After some initial confusion, I realised that this wasn't her bastard half-brother ;) However, I don't know exactly which member of the Antibes branch is meant, but OTOH, there's only one with the right sort of birth date: Honore IV d'Antibes (1701-1743). I thought 'Chevalier' implied illegitimacy, but there were several members of the Guise family who were legitimate Chevaliers, and I can't find any Antibes bastards, so I'm giving Honore he benefit of the doubt. I suppose other French noblemen would have been considered if Goyon de Matignon had been difficult about the whole thing out of... pride, I guess? I'm pretty sure he only married her for the cash in any case.

If the marriage had gone ahead, the next heir would be L-H's sister, Marguerite Camille, who married Louis de Gand de Merode de Montmorency (and he might have changed his name to Grimaldi if it meant a chateau on the Riviera) but she seems to have been unable to bear children (Louis had short-lived kids with his first two wives) which leaves us in a difficult position when Marguerite dies in about 1758. The next heir would be a descendant of Hercule, Marquis des Baux (died 1651) but they wouldn't have the Grimaldi name and I'm not sure whether a descendant of a female Grimaldi can put himself in the line of succession by adopting the name post facto. If these descendants were allowed, the heir would be Michele Imperiali, 7th Prince of Francavilla (1719-1782) and he would presumably lead Monaco towards the Sicilian/Spanish orbit (OTL he lived in Naples after 1755). If not, Monaco would go to the nearest Grimaldi heir: Sauveur-Gaspard Grimaldi d'Antibes, son of Honore, the guy I think was the Chevalier Grimaldi d'Antibes.

So basically, the Antibes branch becomes much more likely to inherit Monaco, and if not, all the nobles of France will fight over the Grimaldi heiresses. Francavilla is basically a dark horse.
 
Why would "Knight" indicate bastardy? ???

I suspect that was just some weird assumption my brain threw out after reading of the Chevalier de Vendome (bastard of Henri IV) and the Chevalier de Grimaldi (bastard of Antoine I). I suppose illegitimate children would have been more likely to join the Order of Malta, but otherwise I was mistaken.
 
Why couldn't, if L-H and her sisters were unable to reign, Chevalier Antoine (her bastard half-brother) become reigning prince? Hell, Rainier's mom was her father's bastard daughter even though there were LEGITIMATE heirs. The Chevalier marries Mlle du Maine or one of LXIV's other granddaughters to get France's approval and off we go.

And I think you're right about Jacques being a golddigger, even though he descended from the house of Orléans-Longueville. The aforementioned Mlle du Maine was offered as a bride for him after L-H died, and he turned it down because the dowry offered was too small for a reigning prince (note: he was only prince jure uxoris AFAIK)
 
Why couldn't, if L-H and her sisters were unable to reign, Chevalier Antoine (her bastard half-brother) become reigning prince? Hell, Rainier's mom was her father's bastard daughter even though there were LEGITIMATE heirs. The Chevalier marries Mlle du Maine or one of LXIV's other granddaughters to get France's approval and off we go.

And I think you're right about Jacques being a golddigger, even though he descended from the house of Orléans-Longueville. The aforementioned Mlle du Maine was offered as a bride for him after L-H died, and he turned it down because the dowry offered was too small for a reigning prince (note: he was only prince jure uxoris AFAIK)

I can't think of any point in the 17th or 18th century where a known bastard succeeded to a European title. Rainier is by the by, as Charlotte was legitimised in the 20th century AND the alternative heir to said bastard was a second cousin, not a child, of the previous monarch. Also, Antoine seems to have been de facto in control of Monaco for several decades while the Princes lived the high life in Paris, and he never sought to usurp - it would be a usurpation, as he would be seizing the throne from its lawful heir, however unsavoury, distant, or female. If a Grimaldi is going to replace L-H or her sister, its going to be one of the Antibes lot who were so strongly opposed to the Goyon-Matignon project.

Also, completely agreed on Jacques being a total waste of skin.
 
The Grimaldi name always causes a british snigger as the first name to come to mind is the famous clown Joseph Grimaldi.
 
Louise Hippolyte took the oath of loyalty and was made Princesse de Monaco without any mention of her husband.
Louise Hippolyte decreed that she would reign alone. All documents were to be in her name only.
 
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