In 1212, with Alfonso VIII, the king's army camped here before launching into battle against the Almohad Caliphate and defeating them in the decisive battle of the Navas de Tolosa. As a result of these events, or perhaps due to previous attacks, there was a major destruction of the Islamic period of the building. This led to a first reconstruction under the Mudejar style in the 13th Century.

Since the 16th Century it has received its present name in memory of the fabulous palaces and gardens that Galiana, beautiful legendary daughter of the Muslim king Galafre and wife of Emperor Charlemagne, who inhabited this beautiful place.

During the second half of the 19th Century, the property passed into the hands of the last descendant of the Guzmanes who owned Galiana: the Empress Eugene of Montijo, wife of Napoleon III. And it was during the lifetime of Eugene of Montijo when important figures of Spanish history and culture became interested in this building in a state of abandonment and sought to get it out of the deplorable state in which it was. Sadly, the Empress Eugene died before the restoration could be carried out.

In 1959 the Palace was sold to Alejandro Fernández de Araoz and his wife Carmen Marañón. Under the direction of the prestigious architect Fernando Chueca Goitia and the historian Manuel Gómez-Moreno, an admirable restoration project was carried out, returning Galiana to its original splendor. Galiana is now magnificently restored and consists of a rectangular floor plan divided into nine vaulted rooms and a sunken pond that reflects the magnificent architecture. The monument was declared of Cultural Interest in 1985 and is surrounded by a wonderful garden.