The Royal Palace of La Almudaina (, ) is one of the official residences of the

Spanish royal family The Spanish royal family consists of King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, their children (Leonor, Princess of Asturias and Infanta Sofía of Spain), and Felipe's parents, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía. The royal family lives at Zarzuela Palace i ...

. Categorized as an

Alcázar An alcázar, from Arabic ''al-Qasr'', is a type of Islamic castle or palace in the Iberian Peninsula (also known as al-Andalus) built during Muslim rule between the 8th and 15th centuries. They functioned as homes and regional capitals for gover ...

(fortified palace), it is located in Palma, the capital city of the Island of

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

History

This imposing alcázar, known at the time of the conquest with the name of "Zuda", was rebuilt in 1309 by the King

James II of Majorca James II ( ca, Jaume) (31 May 1243 – 29 May 1311) was King of Majorca and Lord of Montpellier from 1276 until his death. He was the second son of James I of Aragon and his wife, Violant, daughter of Andrew II of Hungary. In 1279, by the Trea ...

, according to the model of the Royal Palace of Perpignan. In La Almudaina, the monarchs of the Kingdom of Majorca, the Aragonese monarchs and Spanish monarchs had their court successively.

Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...

destined the "Tinell" to

Real Audiencia A ''Real Audiencia'' (), or simply an ''Audiencia'' ( ca, Reial Audiència, Audiència Reial, or Audiència), was an appellate court in Spain and its empire. The name of the institution literally translates as Royal Audience. The additional des ...

and installed in the rest of the building the General Captaincy of the Islands. The current structure of La Almudaina corresponds to the one built in the 14th century with its different spaces; the palaces of the King and of the Queen, the chapel of Saint Anne or the baths, are the most outstanding. Its decoration presents two environments, on the ground floor the medieval style is recreated with works from the 15th to the 20th centuries. The upper floor, used for the celebration of official acts of the

Royal Family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term ...

, is decorated with objects and furniture from other Royal Sites of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The current castle, of Roman origin, is a modification of the Muslim

alcázar An alcázar, from Arabic ''al-Qasr'', is a type of Islamic castle or palace in the Iberian Peninsula (also known as al-Andalus) built during Muslim rule between the 8th and 15th centuries. They functioned as homes and regional capitals for gover ...

begun in 1281, it lasted until 1343, during the reigns of

, son of

James I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( es, Jaime el Conquistador, ca, Jaume el Conqueridor; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and Valencia from 1238 to 1276 ...

Sancho of Majorca Sancho (; 1274 – 4 September 1324), called the Pacific or the Peaceful, was King of Majorca, Count of Roussillon and Cerdanya, and Lord of Montpellier from 1311 to his death. His 13-year-long reign was markedly undisturbed by turmoil, which earne ...

and

James III of Majorca James III ( – ), known as James the Rash (or the Unfortunate), was King of Majorca from 1324 to 1344. He was the son of Ferdinand of Majorca and Isabella of Sabran. Life James was born in Catania, Sicily. Margaret of Villehardouin, James's ...

. La Almudaina was the seat of the prosperous Majorcan kingdom of 14th century, during the reigns of the aforementioned monarch and his successors

and

, until passing to the

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of B ...

with Peter IV in 1349. During the first half of 16th century the upper floor was built by order of the King

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (Crown of Castile, Castil ...

. In the same way as in the

Royal Palace of Madrid The Royal Palace of Madrid ( es, Palacio Real de Madrid) is the official residence of the Spanish royal family at the city of Madrid, although now used only for state ceremonies. The palace has of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. It is the ...

, the Royal Palace of La Almudaina, is the official summer residence of the King, as well as other members of the

, who also reside in the Palace of Marivent and in the

Palacio de la Zarzuela The Zarzuela Palace ( es, Palacio de la Zarzuela ) is the residence and working offices of the reigning monarch of Spain (King Felipe VI), although the official residence of the Spanish royal family is the Royal Palace of Madrid. The Zarzuela Pal ...

in Madrid.

External links

Patrimonio Nacional , Royal Palace of La Almudaina

Royal Almudaina Palace, Mallorca {{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Palace Of La Almudaina Buildings and structures in Palma de Mallorca Palaces in Spain Royal residences in Spain Museums in the Balearic Islands Historic house museums in Spain Tourist attractions in Mallorca Alcazars and Alcazabas in Spain Kingdom of Majorca Crown of Aragon Castles in the Balearic Islands Government buildings completed in the 14th century Buildings and structures completed in 1343 Gothic architecture in the Balearic Islands Gothic palaces Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Balearic Islands