History of Monaco Grimaldis, descended from Otto Canella and taking their name from his son Grimaldo, were an ancient and prominent Guelphic Genoese family. Members of this family, in the course of the civil strife in Genoa between the Guelphs and Ghibellines, took refuge in Monaco, accompanied by various other Guelphic families, most notably the Fieschis. Francesco Grimaldi seized the Rock of Monaco in 1297, starting the Grimaldi dynasty, under the sovereignty of the Republic of Genoa. The Grimaldis acquired Menton in 1346 and Roquebrune in 1355, enlarging their possessions. In 1338 Monegasque ships under the command of Carlo Grimaldi participated, along with
Vehicle registration plates of Monaco Vehicle registration plates of Monaco Vehicle registration plates of Monaco are unusually small (a few centimeters smaller than an American license plate), and are composed of four numbers and/or letters. The plates are colored blue font on a white background and have the coat of arms of Monaco on the left side with the year number (on the rear plate only) to attest that tax has been paid. All plates starting with "000" belong to the family of Albert II, Prince of Monaco. ""Principauté de Monaco"" is written at the bottom of the plate. Before 1979, the color of the