House of Giusti

House of Giusti Casa de Giusti
Royal house
Coat of Arms of the House of Giusti
Country	Monsa
Place of origin	Monsa and Empire of Exponent
Founded	1340 (1340)
Founder	Augustus Giusti
Current head	Letizia Giusti of Monsa
Titles	Titles of the House of Giusti Prince of Monsa Duke of Zagaleta Duke of San Bartolomé Duke of Cervera Duke of Monte Carlo Duke of Balaguer Marquess of Goya
Style(s)	His/Her Serene Highness
Motto	Deo Juvante (With God's Help)
Estate(s)	Prince's Palace of Monsa

The House of Giusti (Spanish: Casa de Giusti) is an Astyrian royal house of Monsan and Exponential origin that has ruled the Principality of Monsa, with brief interruptions, since 1340. Its origins can be traced back to an Exponential noble merchant family, which settled west from the coast of Cassonne and gradually conquered the land in which today is Monsa.

Although there are records of the activity of the Giusti family in Exponent as a noble family that can confirm their existence since the 13th century, the family surged as a royal dynasty only after arriving to Teudallum and with the proclamation of Augustus Giusti as Prince of Monsa approximately in 1340. With a strong Catholic past, religion played a major role during most of the 13th and 14th centuries, in which under the reign of the Catholic Monarchs (Príncipes Católicos), and specially Felipe II of Monsa and Joanna of Monsa, the faith consolidated a special place in the society and life of the dynasty; it was also during this time, when the family led the several campaigns of the Principality during which religion, language and power were spread through battles and the conquest of territories. The relation between the Giustis and the Court of Exponent was debilitated after the Battle of Monsa, which meant the first clash between Cadenzans and Exponentials in Monsan territory, a year later after the Battle the Giusti dynasty, under the [] reign, decided to stop paying tribute to the Imperial Crown, causing a crisis that ended in the Exponential Occupation of Monsa, the retire of the dynasty to the island of St. Barth and the later Siege of St. Barthélemy. Diana Carolina, Countess of Monte Carlo and Princess of the Principality, was the first member of the Giusti dynasty to succeed the Imperial throne and become Empress of Exponent between 1667 and 1702, her reign marked the end of the Siege and the return of the family to Monsa.

The family is today one of the dynasties which have ruled during more time a sovereign state of Astyria and throughout its history, Giustis members have been linked to several other royal houses in the region, including the House Palægos in Trellin and Exponentia in Exponent.

History

Since the 1903 Constitution

During the reign of Fernando IV as Prince of Monsa, the Princely House led one of the biggest democratic transformations in the Principality, which eventually ended decades of absolute monarchism and limitless power of the Giusti dynasty over the domestic, social and economical affairs of Monsa. The Constitution of Monsa of 1903 is often seen in the Principality as the result of the popular demands from the people, which at that time were surrounded by a poor economy, with high unemployment rates and a monarchy who lived at their expenses, investing their wealth outside the Principality and damaging the reputation of the country. The movement which sought the creation of a constitution which would put limits to the power of the Prince and his family, rapidly took off with a high adherence among the Monsan people, while the demands increased as different towns discussed their needs; they used to call themselves Constitucionales and at the time they get to the city of Monsa, they rapidly threatened the Prince with overthrowing the monarchy and establishing the República de Monsa.

As Constitucionales demanded during the protests of July of 1902 in Monsa, a constitution was needed not only to prevent the Prince to amass such economic, social and political power but also to retain the Sovereignty of the Principality from Exponent and Cassonne, as Monsans were seeing how their country had slowly became a client state of both powers. Later that same year, during August, the Prince Fernando IV acceded to evaluate the demands and inaugurate a commission which would create a Constitution a year later in 1903, establishing the separation of powers into Executive, Legislative and Judicial while also inaugurating the Council of Government or Colegio de Monsa as the directorial organism that would function as Head of Government of Monsa.

In 1920, Astyria sees the outbreak of one of its biggest conflicts on the modern history but because Cassonne has no history written, Monsans will choose later which side they take. Since the Great Astyrian War, the House of Giusti has undergone several reforms which have eventually transformed monarchs on purely ceremonial figures on the Principality of Monsa; it has been, however, the economic power the family still holds on the Principality what has not changed since then. The family is a partial owner or investor through the Giusti-Monsa Foundation of several developments in Monsa and their total wealth has been reported at $3.5 billion Monsan Francs.

Notable members

• 

  Juana The Catholic of Monsa
  Princess Consort of Monsa
  

• 

  Diana Carolina Giusti-Exponentia
  Empress of Exponent
  

• 

  Augusto II Giusti of Monsa
  Prince of Monsa
  

• 

  Augusto III Giusti of Monsa
  Prince of Monsa
  

• 

  Fernando IV Giusti of Monsa
  Prince of Monsa
  

• 

  María Gracia of Monsa
  Princess Consort Emeritus of Monsa
  

• 

  Alfonso Giusti of Monsa
  Sovereign Prince of Monsa
  1940-2017

• 

  Pedro Giusti of Monsa
  Sovereign Prince of Monsa
  

• 

  Letizia Giusti of Monsa
  Sovereign Princess of Monsa
  

Succession

Abdications and resignations and any doubt of fact or law that occurs in the order of succession to the Crown will be resolved by an organic law.

— Constitution of Monsa, Article 50, Section 5

By tradition, most Sovereigns of Monsa have acceded to the throne by patrilineality, with few cases before the Constitution of 1903 in which a Princess became Sovereign of Monsa. For over a long time, the House was governed by various statues which allowed each Sovereign to decide their succession line while guaranteeing the continuity of the Giusti dynasty on the Monsan throne. However, with the adoption of the new first Constitution of Monsa in 1903, the family allowed a statute which re-organised succession and abdication issues on the throne; by law, succession to the Crown has the only reservation to those bearing the Giusti name and arms, while for abdications, the Sovereign Prince should entrust the Colegio of Monsa to draft an organic law, which has to be voted by the members of the Parliament.

The last time the Colegio was appointed to draft an organic law happened during the 18th and 19th of March when the Prince Pedro Giusti presented his abdication to the then Head of State, Manuel Quintana Ojeda, who was the responsible to transmit to the rest of the members of the Council the Prince's decision. The abdication was resolved with an organic law as the Constitution stipulates, and was finally passed by the Parliament of Monsa the 28th of March. Since then, Letizia Giusti of Monsa is the Sovereign Princess of Monsa.