The palace began as a royal
hunting lodge on the hill of El Pardo. It became an alternative residence of the kings of Spain until the reign of King
Alfonso XII, who died in the palace in 1885. King
Henry III of Castile ordered the building of a small castle in 1406, on Mount El Pardo, because of its abundant game. In the 1540s, on the orders of
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, it was transformed into a palace by the architect
Luis de Vega, who built a small, traditional
alcázar with a moat. The palace was completed by
Philip II, who introduced Flemish-style slate roofs. On 13 March 1604, a massive fire destroyed many of the paintings the palace housed, including masterpieces by
Titian.
Phillip III entrusted the rebuilding of the palace to
Francisco de Mora. Philip continued his father's decorative ideas, commissioning a number of frescoes.
Philip V lived there for three months a year during the winter, and altered the palace to accommodate the court. King
Charles III of Spain renovated the building in the 18th century, appointing his architect
Francesco Sabatini to undertake the job and add additional courtyards. The interior decoration includes a ceiling
frescoed by
Gaspar Becerra, and paintings by
Vincenzo Carducci and Cabrera. In 1739, the palace hosted talks between the governments of
Great Britain and Spain, who eventually agreed to the
Convention of Pardo in a bid to avert a war. However, the Convention failed to prevent the
War of Jenkins' Ear from breaking out shortly afterwards. Dictator
Francisco Franco commandeered the palace as his residence after the
Spanish Civil War and lived there until his death. ==Access==