Philip II became aware of the fertile meadows of Aranjuez, and designated that a portion of land to the north of the river Tagus should be devoted to pottager and general agriculture in 1561.

[1] After Philip's death in 1598, the works were still in progress with only the royal apartments, the chapel, the south tower and part of the western facade completed.

[2] In 1700, the first Bourbon king of Spain, Philip V, decided to resume the work, intending to make Aranjuez a rival to the grand palace of Versailles.

Although still respecting the original foundations, the new structure was to reflect the prevailing late baroque style and 18th century aesthetic, of an imposing and ostentatious exterior accommodating a series of sumptuously furnished spaces within.

[1] The building is mainly due to Charles III in his reforming work for the capital city (he is sometimes called the Mayor of Madrid) and modernization of the Spanish state.

He designed the two west wings, which provide the main building enclosing the courtyard, thus defining three sides of the cour d'honneur square that faces the original entrance.

The decoration was enriched in the 18th and 19th centuries with paintings by various artists; in the halls hardwood furniture and several collections of tapestries, clocks, lamps and sculptures were installed.

The King embraced physiocracy (an early form of economics in which the wealth of a nation supposedly lay in its soil and people rather than its treasury).

In 1807, Manuel Godoy, favorite of Charles IV's and Spanish prime minister, tried to make peace with Napoleonic France but faced the opposition of the rebellious heir to the throne Ferdinand (later called the "felon king").

In 1808, while Godoy was a resident in Aranjuez (within the Palace of Osuna) the rumor of invasion spread, resulting in an angry mob led by the rebellious supporters of Ferdinand finding him hiding in an attic.

In September 1808, in a formal ceremony held in the Chapel of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez before Monsignor Don Juan de la Vera, the Archbishop of Laodicea, the Supreme, central Junta was officially constituted.

After the Bourbon Restoration, Alfonso XII designated the Royal Palace of Aranjuez to be the residence of the noble household of the dukes of Montpensier.

In 1878 the bride and her entourage arrived for the ceremony from Madrid at an imposing but temporary railway station constructed near the grand Plaza de Armas (western) entrance to the Palace of Aranjuez.

To the north are former potager gardens, now agricultural land intersected by geometric tree-lined "royal rides" which are now open to the public and mostly pedestrian walkways.

[citation needed] Furthest from the palace is an open area, the Raso de Estrella, the site of the original hunting lodge and now a festival ground.

The south of the palace is a large open square known as Plaza de las Parejas in reference to equestrian events formerly held there.

It is defined on the east by a Renaissance style two-story building, which was the auxiliary dependence of the palace (Casa de Caballeros y Oficios – now the local law courts and tax offices).

In front – facing the palace (later a hotel) is the Casa del Principe de Paz, intended to be the residence of Manuel Godoy.

The ground level is lit by windows crowned by semicircular arches, while the upper floor opens onto balconies with iron railings.

For royalty, the traditionally formal access to the Palace is to cross the river Tagus by the (now closed) road to the west near the confluence and then travel eastwards, entering via the Plaza de Armas and through the portico of the central body.

The portico provides access to the interior through a hall that in turn leads to a grand central staircase made by Giacomo Bonavía at the behest of Ferdinand VI.

This salon is decorated with mythological scenes painted by Luca Giordano: Jupiter and Leda, Aeolus (the god of wind) and Triptolemus (the threefold warrior).

An olive wood piano made in England was a gift of Empress Eugénie de Montijo to Queen Isabella II.

The furniture is mostly from the period of Isabella II, except for the decorative French Louis XVI style royal thrones that were used by Alfonso XII and his wife.

A medium-sized hall, its walls and ceilings are completely lined by plaques of white porcelain and reliefs with Rococo decoration of chinoiserie motifs (garlands of flowers, fruits, monkeys, vases, mandarins, parrots, samurais, birds and dragons).

In the center of the ceiling arises a lamp taking the form of a palm, while a Chinese with a hand fan and a monkey on his shoulders climbs the trunk.

Formerly a debating chamber during the reign of Ferdinand VI, Charles III used it as a banquet hall for gala occasions, as the palace has several less formal dining rooms.

The monarchy is depicted by its positive attributes and virtues (Justice, Religion, Bounty, the Angel of Peace with an olive branch, Faith and Charity as a woman protecting children).

This hall was made for Queen Isabella II between 1847 and 1851, decorated with a Moorish fantasy (neo-Nasrid) based in mozarabs, similar to the Sala de Dos Hermanas of the Alhambra in Granada.

It has six large paintings by Luca Giordano, three of biblical themes: The death of Absalom, David wearing the breastplate and Construction of Solomon's Temple and three other of military issues.