ABSTRACT
LOUIS II (Prince, June 26, 1922May 9, 1949). Louis Honore Charles Antoine de Grimaldi was born in Baden-Baden, Germany, on July 12, 1870. He was the only son of Prince Albert, the ruler of Monaco. Louis attended the St. Cyr Military Academy in France and joined the French army in 1883. He served in the French Foreign Legion in Africa, and during World War I he was a cavalry commander in the French army. He distinguished himself in action and rose to the rank of brigadier general. Louis succeeded his father as head of state of Monaco on June 26, 1922. Louis preferred to live in France and spent relatively little time in the nation that he ruled. He fell ill in May of 1949 and relinquished his duties to his grandson and successor, Prince Rainier, on May 4, 1949. He died in Monaco on May 9, 1949.
