The Monastery of Yuste is a monastery in the small village now called Cuacos de Yuste. It was founded by the Hieronymite order of monks in 1402.
In 1556 Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, retired to the Monastery of Yuste, near Cuacos de Yuste, after having abdicated the Spanish crown in favour of his son Philip II of Spain and the crown of the Holy Roman Empire in favour of his brother Ferdinand I. He intended to devote the rest of his life to prayer in this remote and obscure monastery. Nonetheless, the monastery had to be expanded that year to make room for the emperor and the 50 or 60 members of his entourage.
From time to time well-known people, including his illegitimate son Don Juan de Austria and his heir Philip II of Spain, came to visit the retired emperor. A fictitious visit by Carlos, Prince of Asturias, and other characters provides the moonlit setting for Act V of the original version of Giuseppe Verdi's opera Don Carlos, and Yuste is also the setting for both scenes of Act II of that long and celebrated opera. Charles died there on September 21, 1558. He was buried in the monastery church, though his remains were later transferred to the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial.
In 1809, during the Peninsular War, the monastery was burnt to the ground by the French army. It was left in ruins until 1949, when the Spanish government restored it at the behest of Francisco Franco.
The area around Yuste, the Valle del Jerte, is now an eco-tourist destination. Tourists can visit the monastery, including the emperor's apartments. The valley is also known for its cherry trees and the beauty of the surrounding landscape.
References:Rosenborg Palace was built in the period 1606-34 as Christian IV’s summerhouse just outside the ramparts of Copenhagen. Christian IV was very fond of the palace and often stayed at the castle when he resided in Copenhagen, and it was here that he died in 1648. After his death, the palace passed to his son King Frederik III, who together with his queen, Sophie Amalie, carried out several types of modernisation.
The last king who used the place as a residence was Frederik IV, and around 1720, Rosenborg was abandoned in favor of Frederiksborg Palace.Through the 1700s, considerable art treasures were collected at Rosenborg Castle, among other things items from the estates of deceased royalty and from Christiansborg after the fire there in 1794.
Soon the idea of a museum arose, and that was realised in 1833, which is The Royal Danish Collection’s official year of establishment.