It was built by the 1st Duke of Afonso, illegitimate son of King João I. Its construction began between 1420 and 1433, at the time of D. Afonso’s marriage to D. Constança de Noronha.

It is believed that, for part of the century, the palace continued to be used as the residence of the Dukes of Bragança, but then gradually fell into a phase of abandonment and ruin. In the 19th century, at the time of the French invasions, the Paço was converted into a military barracks. And in the following century, during the Estado Novo regime, the Paço dos Duques was rebuilt between 1937 and 1959. It was inaugurated in 1959, the year in which it became the Official Palace of the President of the Republic in the north of the country.

Today it is a museum, and its decorations are intended to create the illusion that the visitor is entering an inhabited house. The collections of tapestries, furniture, ceramics, paintings and armory stand out.