Duke Leopold I of Lorraine was married to Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans herself a niece of Louis XIV of France who at the time of their marriage in 1698 was beginning to expand the Palace of Versailles. The ducal family of Lorraine had previously used the Ducal Palace of Nancy itself in the capital of the duchy. The new Duke and duchess had an ever growing family and Leopold took it upon himself to commission another palace reflecting his rank as a sovereign duke.