The earliest reference to a royal residence here dates to 1137, under Louis VII. The first château was a square keep of about 540 square feet (50 m²) and three stories. Under Francis I, Gilles Le Breton built the Cour Ovale, preserved the medieval keep, and added the Porte Dorée in the Italian Renaissance style.
The Gallery of Francis I was begun in 1528. Between 1533 and 1539 it was decorated under Rosso Fiorentino, with Francesco Primaticcio joining later, and their work is the basis of the first School of Fontainebleau. Henry IV added the Gallery of Diana, 242 feet (80 m) long, and a canal 3,940 feet (1,200 m) long.
Louis XIII assigned Jean Androuet du Cerceau to rebuild the horseshoe stairway designed by Philibert Delorme. Napoleon signed his abdication here on April 4, 1814. UNESCO listed the palace in 1981.
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