The royal palace began life as a convent built in the 13th century. Over the next hundred years, as the royal family spent more time in the region, King John I evicted the monks from parts of the monastery and turned these rooms into a royal residence. Fast forward another century, and we have King John II massively expanding the complex with new wings and gardens. The monks were still here, but they occupied only a handful of rooms. In 1495, Pope Alexander VI allowed the king to evict them, provided he funded the construction of a new monastery. The next king, Manuel I, turned the palace into one of the largest in the Iberian peninsula. The architect Martim Lourenço drew inspiration from the Alhambra in Granada to create luxurious private and public rooms that captivated the public and hosted famous intellectuals (the playwright Gil Vicente) and courageous explorers (Vasco da Gama).