One of the most brilliant holders3 of the seigneurie of Monaco was Carlo I, otherwise known as Charles the Seaman4. He was a restless and violent man, as wild as a hawk5, with an ambition as boundless6 as his daring and with an ability of mind which raised him to the position of a great power on the seas.
He began by choosing a wife from the family of his direst enemy; for he married Lucinetta Spinola. The marriage, so far as the records tell, was fortunate and Lucinetta bore him six children.
The great purpose of his life was to make Monaco a naval7 power and in this aim he succeeded, for by his indomitable energy he raised the Monégasque fleet to a position of high rank not only in the Mediterranean8 but in the remoter waters of Europe. Although the harbour at his command was small he was able, on one occasion, to collect a fleet of no fewer than thirty galleys9 and a force of ten thousand men-at-arms.
He devoted10 his fleet, in the first instance, to advance the prestige of Monaco, to consolidate11 his territory and to expand his commerce. When these needs were satisfied he went further afield. He was a free lance and was prepared to offer his services to any prince who was in need of help and was prepared to pay liberally for his assistance. Indeed when any war, large or small, was impending12 it was desirable, as a preliminary, to secure the strong arm of Charles the Seaman. He was indifferent as to the merits of the quarrel or as to the side on which he served so long as he saw his way to make a good thing out of it.
He began his fighting career in a quite modest fashion in the year 1331. The Catalans, being unfortunately not aware of the character of the Lord of Monaco, had the audacity13 to make a blundering attack upon that citadel14. Carlo fell upon them, scattered15 them, drove them back panic-stricken and, dashing after them, sacked their town of Barcelona as a warning not to meddle16 with the Grimaldi again.
Having a fine fleet and a period of leisure he now turned his forces against his old enemies, the Genoese, harried17 them without mercy and blockaded their city. He was doing well and likely to do better when war broke out between France and England, between Philip of Valois on one side and Edward III on the other. Philip at once sent to Monaco to beg the help—on terms—of Carlo against the English. The invitation was too attractive to be ignored; so the fleet of Monaco turned westward18 and set sail for the remote and almost unknown island of England. It was a venture of no little peril19. The Gulf20 of Lyons and the Bay of Biscay are not to the liking21 of seamen22 even at the present day, and to cross these wastes of water in mere23 galleys was a venture that needed a stout24 heart—such a heart as that of Carlo Grimaldi.
The Monégasque fleet, having joined with that of France, came up with the English off the Channel Islands. A sea battle followed in which Carlo and the French, aided very opportunely25 by a storm, defeated the naval forces of England. This was in the year 1343. Charles the Seaman gained from this expedition not only glory but profit; for he received from Philip a very substantial recompense in money as well as certain rights to trade in the Mediterranean which brought considerable additions to his treasury26.
Having disposed of the English navy Grimaldi’s services were no longer needed by the French; so he returned to Monaco to resume his interrupted fight with the Genoese. Fighting with the Genoese had become a habit with the Lords of Monaco, an abiding27 passion, a kind of disorder28 which would be described as chronic29. Carlo was getting on extremely well, was doing great damage to Genoa and inflicting30 still more gratifying injury upon her fleet, when once more the King of France called for his aid and this time gave the order—as a contractor31 would express it—for an expeditionary force.
This force was to be employed in France in fighting the English. It appears to have been a joint32 force of Genoese and Monégasque under the combined command of Carlo Grimaldi and a Doria of Genoa.
The force arrived on the scene of action too late. Edward III of England had already ravaged33 the coast of France and had advanced to within a few miles of Paris. The battle of Crécy followed. The Genoese—as every schoolboy will remember—wearied by forced marches, were sent to the front by the French king. There had been a storm of rain and, having no cases for their bows, the catgut that strung them was rendered soft and useless. The men—thus hampered—were unable to withstand the English archers34 and began to retreat. The king, seeing them waver, ordered his own troops to set upon them. “Or t?t,” cried he, “tuez toute cette ribandaille, car ils nous empêchant la voie sans raison.” A general rout35 followed and the victory of the English was complete. The battle was fought on August 26th, 1346. Both Doria and Grimaldi were wounded, but whether by the English archers or the French pikemen, is unknown. In spite of his wounds Carlo hastened to Calais which was hard pressed by the English. His efforts, however, availed nothing and Calais fell. Carlo Grimaldi, having completed his engagement, returned to Monaco.
Neither he nor his navy could be long idle. There was always lucrative36 work for them somewhere, together with substantial pay and good prospects37 of loot. Thus we find him fighting Greeks and Venetians, going to the assistance of Don Jayme II of Majorca in his war with Pierre IV of Aragon, and, later on, fighting on the side of this same Pierre of Aragon against the Moors38 of Gibraltar. This last-named expedition was in 1349. Before that date, viz. in 1346, he had made peace with Genoa and, as a compliment, the command of the Genoese fleet was given to his brother.
MONACO: THE OLD H?TEL DE VILLE.
Wars were very profitable and Carlo was becoming a rich man. He had extended the frontiers of Monaco; for he had acquired by purchase the seigneuries of Mentone, Roquebrune, Castillon and Eze. He had rich fiefs in France as well as the towns of Cagnes and Villeneuve in the vicinity of Nice and was, moreover, engaged in a lucrative commerce along the coast.
All was well, but unfortunately the old chronic malady—the passion to fight Genoa—broke out again as chronic maladies are apt to do. This time the veteran seaman was not so fortunate and indeed fortune would seem to have deserted39 him. The Duke of Genoa fell upon Monaco; surrounded it; blockaded it and compelled the tough old fighter, who had never owned defeat, to haul down his flag and surrender. There was never a more pathetic moment in the history of Monaco than when the gallant40 seaman walked down the path from his palace to the sea a beaten man and, most bitter of all, beaten by Genoa. This was in 1356.
Carlo Grimaldi retired41 upon Mentone to collect forces with which to fight the Genoese once more and so gain possession of his beloved rock. For him the time never came. The ranks of armed men that he dreamed about night and day were never mustered42 and in 1363 the great and heroic seaman died.
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1
adventurous
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| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
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2
vicissitudes
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| n.变迁，世事变化；变迁兴衰( vicissitude的名词复数 )；盛衰兴废 | |
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3
holders
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| 支持物( holder的名词复数 )； 持有者； （支票等）持有人； 支托（或握持）…之物 | |
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seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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5
hawk
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| n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员 | |
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6
boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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7
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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Mediterranean
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| adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的 | |
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galleys
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| n.平底大船，战舰( galley的名词复数 )；（船上或航空器上的）厨房 | |
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10
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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11
consolidate
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| v.使加固，使加强；(把...)联为一体，合并 | |
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12
impending
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| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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audacity
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| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
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14
citadel
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| n.城堡；堡垒；避难所 | |
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15
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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16
meddle
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| v.干预，干涉，插手 | |
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17
harried
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| v.使苦恼( harry的过去式和过去分词 )；不断烦扰；一再袭击；侵扰 | |
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18
westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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21
liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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23
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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25
opportunely
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| adv.恰好地，适时地 | |
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treasury
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| n.宝库；国库，金库；文库 | |
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abiding
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| adj.永久的，持久的，不变的 | |
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disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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chronic
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| adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的 | |
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30
inflicting
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的现在分词 ) | |
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31
contractor
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| n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌 | |
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32
joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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33
ravaged
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| 毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫 | |
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34
archers
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| n.弓箭手，射箭运动员( archer的名词复数 ) | |
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35
rout
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| n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮 | |
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lucrative
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| adj.赚钱的，可获利的 | |
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prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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38
moors
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| v.停泊，系泊（船只）( moor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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39
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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41
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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42
mustered
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| v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的过去式和过去分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发 | |
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