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The Royal Palace of Valsain (Spanish: Palacio Real de Valsain) is a former Spanish royal residence, which is now in ruins. It is located in Valsain in the Province of Segovia, in the Castile and León Autonomous region of central Spain. It is approximately 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from Segovia, and 75 kilometres (47 mi) north of Madrid.

History

Construction

The Trastámara kings of Castile already had a hunting lodge in Valsain. But the royal palace itself was built between 1552 and 1556 for King Philip II by the architect Gaspar de Vega after the King returned from a trip to France, England, and the Netherlands. The architecture of the palace was heavily influenced by Netherlandish/Flemish architecture, such as Binche Palace, features of which were until then unknown in Spain: steeply pitched slate roofs, slated spires, dormer windows. These became characteristics of the Habsburg architecture in Spain.

Birthplace

The palace was the birthplace of princess Isabella Clara Eugenia, daughter of Philip II of Spain and his third wife Elisabeth of Valois, who later together with her husband Albert VII, Archduke of Austria became sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands in the Low Countries and the north of modern France.

Spanish match

The English Prince Charles came to Valsain in 1623, during the visit known as the "Spanish match". He admired the orchards and the situation of the building.

Burning

On 22 October 1682, the palace burnt down to a shell. Due to the political situation in Spain and the crisis around the succession, King Charles II was not able to restore the palace. His successor King Philip V built close by a new palace, the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso. Today only the ruins remain.

References

1. "Isabel Clara Eugenia tenía años cuando llegó a la casa Thair Julia". Arte Rural (in European Spanish). 2014-11-26. Archived from the original on 2018-07-18. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
2. "Frans Pourbus the Younger (Antwerp 1569 - Paris 1622) - The Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia (1566-1633), Archduchess of Austria". www.royalcollection.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
3. John Nichols, Progresses of James the First, vol. 4 (London, 1828), pp. 914-5.
4. Henry Ettinghausen, 'Greatest News Story', in Alexander Samson, The Spanish Match: Prince Charles's Journey to Madrid, 1623 (Ashgate, 2006), p. 86.

Bibliography

• Martínez Tercero, Enrique (1985) " “Valsaín: un Real Sitio flamenco en el Bosque de Segovia” Revista Reales Sitios nº 84", Madrid - http://www.devalsain.com/html/sitioflamenco.html
• Gárate Fernández-Cossío, Pablo (2012) "El Palacio de Valsaín - Una Reconstitución a través de sus vestigios - Tesis Doctoral" - http://oa.upm.es/19853/1/PABLO_GARATE_FERNANDEZ_COSSIO_1.pdf
• Gárate Fernández-Cossío, Pablo (2012) "La Torre Nueva del Palacio de Valsaín", Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid - http://www.castellarnau.org/files/plugin/contenidos/pdf/TorrePalacioValsain.pdf
• Prats y Rodríguez de Llano, Antonio (1925) "Bosquejo histórico del Palacio de Valsaín y de los jardines de San Ildefonso (La Granja – Segovia)", Madrid

External links

• http://www.devalsain.com/html/sitioflamenco.html
• http://www.arquitecturapopular.es/arquitectura-historica/civil/palacio-real-de-valsain-segovia.htm

v t e Spanish Royal sites
Royal sites of the Patrimonio Nacional	Royal Palaces Madrid El Escorial El Pardo (Zarzuela) Aranjuez La Granja de San Ildefonso Riofrío Alcázar of Seville: Upper Apartments La Almudaina Monasteries Convent of Las Descalzas Reales Convent of La Encarnación Convent of Santa Clara Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas Other Casita del Príncipe (El Escorial) Casita del Príncipe (El Pardo) Casita del Infante Pantheon of Illustrious Men Convent of San Pascual Convent of Santa Isabel Colegio de Doncellas Nobles
Former Royal Palaces	Alcázar of Segovia Alcázar of the Caliphs of Córdoba Alcázar of the Catholic Monarchs Alhambra Aljafería Buen Retiro Palace Castle Alcázar of Segorbe Castle of Bellver Castle of Burgos Del Real Palace Generalife Madinat al-Zahra Miramar Palace Monastery of Yuste Palace of Charles V Palacio de la Magdalena El Quexigal Palacio de la Ribera Royal Palace of Estella Royal Palace of Olite Royal Palace of Perpignan Royal Palace of Pedralbes Royal Palace of Tordesillas Palau Reial Major Palacio Real de Valladolid Royal Alcázar of Madrid Torre de la Parada Valldemossa Charterhouse
Former Sub-national seats	Castel Nuovo Royal Palace of Naples Palazzo dei Normanni Palazzo Regio Edificio de las Casas reales Palacio del Virrey (present-day the National Palace) Palacio de los Capitanes Generales de Cuba Palacio de los Capitanes Generales de Guatemala Palacio de Pizarro Palacio del Fuerte de Buenos Aires Palacio Real de Quito Palacio Virreinal de Santa Fé de Bogotá Palacio del Gobernador de Agaña Palacio del Gobernador de las Filipinas Palacio de los Gobernadores de Nuevo México Royal Palace of Brussels
This section includes the royal palaces of the Christian and Muslim medieval kingdoms  Category

40°52′38″N 4°01′36″W / 40.8771°N 4.0267°W / 40.8771; -4.0267

• 1556 establishments in Spain
• Houses completed in 1556
• Palaces in Castilla–La Mancha
• Palaces in Spain
• Royal residences in Spain
• San Ildefonso (Segovia)
• Buildings and structures in the Province of Segovia
• Philip II of Spain
• Burned buildings and structures
• Ruins in Spain