Fernande-Gisèle Myriane de Grimaldi

## Marquise des Baux

suo jure Marquise des Baux in 1782; par Jean-Baptiste Greuze

### Siblings

Honoré Charles Anne de Grimaldi, Duc d'Estouteville ✝Joseph Marie Jerôme Honoré, Comte de Caumont

### Religion

Roman Catholic

**Fernande-Gisèle Myriane Emmanuelle de Grimaldi** (17th May 1758 — present) was a Monacan and French noblewoman.

## Biography

### Early Life, Childhood and Adolescence

Fernande-Gisèle Myriane Emmanuelle de Grimaldi was born in Paris, Kingdom of France, to Honoré III, Prince of Monaco, and his since-estranged wife Maria Caterina Brignole. Immature, peevish, insolent, but determined, she grew up as one of the Grimaldi twins, whose succession of births is unclear. Wielding support of her mother, the separated wife of the Prince of Monaco, Mademoiselle de Carladès has maintained a claim of being the rightful heir to the Principality of Monaco.

In 1778, in the turmoil leading up to his ultimate assasination, King Louis XV has informally recognized Mademoiselle de Carladès' claim on her brother's title, awarding her with a suo jure land in Brittany as a nod to her political ambition, and a test of her leadership acumen and suitability as heiress to the Monegasque domain. The Mademoiselle embodied an astute and determined front, however, the premature demise of the monarch in an assasination attempt just the way across from the Grimaldi Hotel Particulier ultimately thwarted the fruition of this trial.

With a stringent hand, she wielded her newfound barony, frequently at odds with the Parlement of Rennes in taking it upon herself to rectify the scarcity of grain plaguing the region. During this time she matured significantly, marked by the King's loss and the transformation of her once spirited, petulant, carefree nature into one of determination and teenage angst. In light of these changes, she has become discerning in her choice of suitors, with her mother dutifully shepherding the carefully curated candidates.

Following the death of her brother of smallpox in 1782, she became the heir apparent to the sovereign Principality of Monaco, and therefore espoused the title of Marquise des Baux.

## Appearance and Personality

In her 1780 memoir, *Madame de Boigne* painted a critical depiction of the young Baronne:

> *"Her visage, resembling that of a freshly-embalmed cadaver, was better avoided. The haphazard application of her cosmetic powders created a patchy effect on her mane, as if she had engaged in a battle with flour, or perhaps, gunpowder. Her only saving grace was then-present fashion of unkempt curls, a mode only so prevalent in her coming of age that had she been born a decade earlier, she would have been the subject of gasps and ridicule. Her ghastly chubby features had given way to the equally ghastly woes of adolescence, leaving her with a puerile demeanor that was largely disapproved. Yet, in their unscrupulous amusement, the impish youth take great pleasure in toying with her, baiting and taunting her until she succumbs to her absurd capers and antics, providing them with mere foolish playthings for their entertainment. She is, despite her claims of greatness, but an insignificant and frivolous creature, reduced to a mere spectacle for the entertainment of others."*
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## Titles and Styles

* **17th May 1758 - 27th August 1778:** Mademoiselle de Carladès, Princesse héréditaire de Monaco
* **27th August 1778 - 25th October 1782:** *Mademoiselle la* Baronne de Châteaugiron, Princesse héréditaire de Monaco
* **25th October 1782 - present:** *Mademoiselle la* Marquise des Baux*,* Baronne de Châteaugiron, Princesse héréditaire de Monaco