Annales Monégasques

Prince Albert I of Monaco’s scientific journey began in the mid-1880s, when he was introduced by his friend Paul Regnard to Parisian intellectual society, in which the Academy of Sciences was then the foremost institution. From his very first oceanographic expeditions to the day he died, year after year, the Prince travelled to the French capital to present the findings of his campaigns to the “parliament” of scientists. In recognition of his efforts, he was elected correspondent for the Academy geography and navigation section on 27 April 1891, and on 29 March 1909 became a foreign associate, exceedingly rare for a Head of State. In this new role, he was involved in one of the institution’s greatest controversies, namely Marie Curie’s candidacy in 1910-1911. The Prince was an outgoing member of the scientific community, and built a network of relationships with new faces and former colleagues, all esteemed academics. In a sign of his devotion to the Institut de France, he often wore the uniform - even when not engaged in academic activities - and in his will bequeathed a generous sum to create a new science prize.

Francisco Afonso Chaves (1857-1926) was one of the most distinguished Portuguese naturalists. Cultured, well-travelled and cosmopolitan, he was interested in many areas of the natural sciences, especially seismology, volcanology and meteorology. Promoter of the creation of an international meteorological organisation, he was the first director of the Azores Meteorological Service. But he was also a remarkable photographer, whose work, almost exclusively composed of stereoscopic images, remained unknown until recently. In all his activities, the working relationship and friendship with Prince Albert I (1848-1922) was fundamental. The latter, by encouraging and sponsoring Chaves’ scientific research and financing many of his trips, ended up playing a crucial role, even if indirectly, in the creation of one of the most interesting works in the history of Portuguese and European photography, in which art meets science.

The phrase “A French Prince” is a testament to the deep, complex bonds between Albert I of Monaco and the country in which he was born, lived, and worked, while always taking care not to neglect his princely duties in the Principality. The Prince’s second homeland was France, but above all Paris, where he built a wide social circle that extended into the worlds of politics and academia, securing a wider platform for his work and giving him a prominent role in the business of the age. It was in Paris that he created his two major foundations, leaving an indelible scientific mark on France. Yet the Prince’s life was not confined to the academies and salons of the French capital. It spanned the country from the coasts of Brittany and Normandy, the starting point for his scientific expeditions, to the peaks of the Pyrenees, the Prince’s refuge and outdoor playground.

Albert I’s historiography tends to focus on the man devoted to great causes, the scientist, the tireless defender of peace. This study looks at the statesman, from the perspective of his relationships with the French political leaders in the Alpes-Maritimes region with whom he had dealings over the course of his reign. From protocol to more personal relationships, all came with a political dimension. For Albert I was certainly not indifferent to local administration. On the contrary, he was probably the first Sovereign Prince to take a close interest in municipal matters which, under his reign, assumed a level of importance never before seen in Monaco.

In Monaco, the Belle Époque saw the gradual emergence of political representation as an issue, as Monegasque “nationals” and residents, realising the extent of their demographic and economic influence and the attention paid by their respective governments, aspired to civic and social rights. The Syndicat d’initiative des intérêts généraux de la Principauté (1907-1909) was founded in the years leading up to the adoption of the country’s first constitution, against a backdrop of often complicated Franco-Italian relations. The body brought together Monegasques represented by certain political leaders and representatives of overseas “colonies”, and was a somewhat unusual institutional experiment in political consultation and dialogue. Prince Albert I believed it would be sufficient to meet the collective aspirations of his people. It failed to fully satisfy the Sovereign, however, and was replaced by a Chamber of Commerce, while the Commission Communale was reorganised. This coincided with the first franco-monegasque crisis, caused partly by Monaco’s mill.

On the death of Charles III (1818-1889) in September 1889, the heir to the throne was none other than his son Albert, who at that moment became Albert I of Monaco. But the man who would go on to be known as the “Navigator Prince” had been away from the Principality for some years, busy with his oceanographic campaigns, among other things. His often strained relationship with his father, complicated in no small part by his romance with Alice de Richelieu, was a source of pain. In the Principality, there were murmurs and doubts among the Monegasques about his ability to lead and unite the people. The lavish, age-old enthronement ceremony was a chance for the new Prince to remind the world of his rank and legitimacy and, by affirming his place in the dynastic continuity, to secure the loyalty of his new subjects.

Prince Albert I of Monaco’s reign coincided with the heyday of the satirical cartoon. Everything was open to caricature, and the little Sovereign’s quirks and strongly held beliefs, easily derided as trivial, were no exception. The often ferocious iconography of the time was published in the press, albums of cartoons, and frequently on illustrated postcards. The dark legend of the casino, forged by moralising figures from across the spectrum and fed by rival seaside resorts such as Nice, clings to the Prince like the proverbial millstone. Seen as the cradle of frivolity, Monte-Carlo is depicted as nothing more than a place that leaves its ruined victims penniless, even suicidal. Holding a rake in lieu of a sceptre, the amusing Scholar Prince is shown as a mere croupier, hungry for gold, overseeing a little corner of hell. His support for Albert Dreyfus drew the ire of French nationalist cartoonists, who in turn drew him as a traitor to his second motherland and lineage. In the years before the Great War, Albert I’s pacifism and fondness for Germany are distorted, hardening his portrayal as a pathetic turncoat, and perhaps even a spy.

Like most of his predecessors since the 17th century, Albert I exercised his princely right to mint coinage. For the Prince, it was not merely a necessary way of affirming his sovereignty. He encouraged the issue of commemorative medals celebrating special events, such as the official opening of the Oceanographic Museum or the consecration of Monaco’s cathedral. Designed with great care by renowned artists, the coins and medals are considered to be of a high quality. In addition, as an honorary member of the Belgian society of numismatics before his accession to the throne, in 1910 the Prince acquired a collection of Green coins depicting marine animals, evidence of his keen interest in such items, particularly those that dovetailed with his love of the sea.

The infamous episode occurred in August 1907, in the reign of Prince Albert I, and came to be known by various names: “the Goold affair”, “the crime of Monte-Carlo”, “the case of the bloody trunk”, “the case of the butchered lady”, and “the new Gouffé affair”. It became the subject of lurid headlines in the international, national, and local press, and says much about the age - the underbelly of what later came to be known as “La Belle Epoque” - and the image of the Principality of Monaco in those early years of the 20th century. There are numerous reasons to explain just why the affair was deemed so sensational and inspired such emotion, ranging from the nature of the crime, its similarity with other killings (such as the Soleilland case that same year), the personality of the murderers, and the added element of gambling which served to revive the dark legend of the Casino de Monte-Carlo. Three particular aspects of the case are deserving of closer examination: the way in which crimes are dealt with differently under different national legal systems, the impact and media coverage of the case, and finally the role played by Prince Albert I at the time. The article concludes with a look at the case’s legacy, how the story has been retold, and the plays and other cultural phenomena it has inspired.

After Pierre de Coubertin successfully reinstated the Olympic Games, Monaco became one of the nations represented in the International Olympic Committee. For a long time, this representation was the responsibility of one man, Count Gautier-Vignal, who had established a relationship of trust with Coubertin. However, it wasn’t until 1920 and the Games of the VII Olympiad that this became a reality with the first participation of Monegasque athletes.