The Doge's Palace, Venice, Italy
Overlooking San Marco square in the heart of Venice, the Doge's Palace is a brilliant fusion of Eastern and Western architecture. Constructed in the 7th century to house the chief magistrates of the Venetian Republic, or "Doges" as they were called, it was also the center of government for over a thousand years. In 1202, blind old Doge Dandolo sacked Byzantium and brought the city's treasures back to the palace. In 1755, the libertine Casanova was arrested and thrown in the palace prisons, but he soon escaped. His memoirs brought the outrage of Napoleon and the end of the Venetian Republic.

The Red Fort and the Taj Mahal, India
Akbar and Shah Jahan can be considered the greatest Mughal emperors of India not only because of their political brilliance and religious tolerance, but also because of the structures they built. In 1565, Akbar began construction on a massive fortress of red sandstone on the Yamuna river, known as The Red Fort. Within its walls, he built palaces for his 300 wives and 5,000 concubines. His grandson, Shah Jahan, had but three wives and loved one of them so dearly that, after her death during the birth of their fourteenth child, he built her the world's most splendid tomb: The Taj Mahal.

Royal Palace of Sintra, Portugal
When King Joao won Portugal's independence from Spain in 1385, he celebrated by building a palace that would be home to his dynasty during the greatest era of the Portuguese empire. Constructed by Moorish laborers on the ruins of a Moorish Castle, Sintra Palace is a magnificent blend of Islamic and Gothic architecture. Under King Joao and King Manuel, Portugal enjoyed Europe's greatest age of discovery. Treasures from India, the Orient, Africa, and Brazil made the palace one of the most splendid residences in Europe.

Royal Palace of Meknes, Morocco
Sultan Ismael of Morocco so admired Louis XIV of France that he built a palace intended to rival Versailles in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. To turn the small town of Meknes into a great palace-fortress, whose outer wall is forty kilometers long, Ismael relied on the labor of thousands of European slaves and tens of thousands from Morocco.

Palaces of Jodhpur, India
This episode focuses on two palaces, on from the 15th century and one from the 20th, which are oases of luxury in the Marwar desert of India. Around 1470, King Jodha, of the Raijput dynasty in northwest India, left the fortress his ancestors had lived in for a thousand years and founded a new capital, Jodhpur. Located on a volcanic summit and surrounded by high walls, Jodhpur contains hundreds of palaces. In 1929, the Raijput monarch Umaid Singh commissioned 3,000 laborers for 15 years to build a new palace, Umaid Bhawan. A blend of Indian and Art Deco styles, the palace is today a hotel.

Hampton Court, London, England
Originally built in the 16th century by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Hampton Court bore witness to the triumphs and tragedies of generations of British royalty. When King Henry VIII decided that the palace was more suitable for a king, he evicted Wolsey and took Hampton Court for himself. Since then, the palace has been home to a long line of British rulers. From King Henry VIII to William and Mary to Charles I, this episode details the rich history of these kings and queens and illustrates the influences and sometimes extravagant changes each new resident made to the palace's design.

Topkapi Palace, Turkey
From Topkapi Palace, sultans presided over the mighty Ottoman Empire for 300 years. This royal residence is the most extensive and fascinating monument of Turkish civil architecture in existence. Constructed in 1460 by Sultan Mehmet II, the palace was built atop the ancient Byzantine acropolis in Constantinople, the new capital of the Ottoman empire. It served as a residence for Mehmet's family, court and harem and accommodated up to 4,000 people. Although the palace is now a museum, it still bears the signature of the once mighty Ottoman sultans.

Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand
In 1783, King Rama I, who had been a Buddhist monk for 27 years prior to his coronation, built the grand Palace, Which has been the home of Thai royalty ever since. The palace, which serves as a residence, place of worship, and center of government, grew to encompass more than thirty structures. While exploring the architecture and the buildings which comprise the Grand Palace, this episode chronicles the reign of the Siamese royalty who resided there. The legacy of King Rama IV and that of his son was their ability to keep European imperial powers at bay while they created a thriving, reformed Thailand.

Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria
From Schönbrunn Palace, Archduchess Maria Theresa kept the Austrian empire intact after the death of her father, the emperor, and turned Vienna into a center for arts and music. Built by her grandfather as a hunting resort, Schönbrunn grew into a 2000-room masterpiece of baroque architecture under Maria Theresa. On its grounds, she built the first zoo in Europe. Occupied for a time by Napoleon, the palace became a cultural center again under Emperor Franz-Joseph and his young queen, Elizabeth, known as the most romantic couple in Europe.

Summer Palace, Beijing, China
The Summer Palace dates back to the 12th century, but its greatest splendor came with the Manchu Dynasty and, in particular, with the Empress Dowager, Cixi. After the Emperor's death from opium addiction, Cixi became one of the most powerful women in Chinese history. Although the Empress led an extravagant life, her hundreds of eunuchs and ladies-in-waiting knew little but suffering.

The Escorial, Spain
Part Palace, part monastery, part citadel, The Escorial was built by Catholic King Philip II of Spain in the 16th century, and was the center of the enormous Spanish empire. Philip said, "For God a Palace, for me a hut," and his personal quarters are quite spartan. From his modest desk in the Escorial, Philip relied on bureaucratic advisors to run an empire that extended from South America To the Philippines--the first empire on which the sun never set.