Bosphoros Palace
The Bosphoros Palace is one of the Imperial residences of the Mesogeian Imperial Family. Located in the village of Kaiservilla, a village located just outside the capital and containing several royal residences, including the Blachernai Castle, and the Theodora Palace.
The palace is located across from the Blachernai Imperial Park, not far from the larger and more elaborate Theodora Palace and the medieval castle that gives the ark its name.
History
The original palace was gifted to Empress Placeholder by her husband Manuel VI in 1588. Empress Placeholder continued to reside in the palace after her husband's assassination in 1605, with it serving as her dower residence until her death years later in 1635. The palace and its grounds were willed to the state, but it fell into disuse until 1654, the year after Emperor Constantine XIV died. The Parliament gifted the palace to the Empress Dowager Anna in 1654 who was serving as regent for her young son Constantine XV. The palace was destroyed in a horrible fire a year later, but was rebuilt at the command of the dowager Empress with the palace being designed by the court architect PLACEHOLDER and his son. The rebuilt palace was finished in 1668. The dowager Empress used the palace as a summer residence until her death in 1675; she left the grounds and the estate to her son who used it for hunting.
The second wife of Constantine XV, Empress PLACEHOLDER resided here until her death in 1726, making her the third empress dowager to reside in the palace, leading to the palace being referred to as the dower palace. After her death it would not be inhabited for decades until Empress Theodora II gifted the palace to her son Constantine XVII, when he ascended to the throne as joint-monarch in 1750. Constantine XVII resided here with his large family until his death in 1762 after which time the palace and his title as co-ruler passed to his eldest son Constantine XVIII, then a boy of nine years.
Upon the death of his grandmother in 1767, Constantine XVIII became sole Emperor and abandoned the palace for the larger Blachernai Castle and Theodora Palace located on the other side of the park. Constantine XIX used the palace as a summer residence during his reign.
The palace was used frequently along with the other two imperial residences in Kaiservilla, with the palace being the site of a series of galas and theatrical spectacles used to celebrate the silver wedding anniversary of Theodora III and Michael XIV in 1859.
The future Constantine XXI was born in the palace in 1869, with the entire Imperial family being present at the birth as well as high-ranking members of the Imperial court. During Constantine XXI's reign, the emperor and is family choose to reside at Bosphoros practically abandoning the Imperial palace at Alexandropolis for an informal life at the palace.