The palace was originally built in 1612 by Marie de' Medici on lands she owned. The design was based on buildings from her native Florence. The building is often compared to the far larger Palazzo Pitti where Queen Marie was born in 1575. In 1642, Marie left the Luxembourg to her second and favourite son, Gaston, Duke of Orléans. He called it the "Palais d'Orléans" but it was still known by its original name. Upon Gaston's death, the palace passed to his widow, Marguerite of Lorraine. Then it passed to his elder daughter by his first marriage, La Grande Mademoiselle. 