Renaissance
When the Masovia region was incorporated in the Kingdom of Poland in 1526, the edifice which until then had been the Castle of the Dukes of Masovia became one of the royal residences. From 1548 onwards Queen Bona Sforza resided in it with her daughters Izabela, who became Queen of Hungary, Catherine, later to become Queen of Sweden, and Anna Jagiellon, later King of Poland. In 1556–1557 and in 1564 the King of Poland, Zygmunt August, convoked royal parliaments in Warsaw. They met in the Castle. Following the Lublin Union (1569), by which the Polish Crown and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania -were united as a single country, Warsaw Castle was regularly the place where the parliament of the Two-Nations State met. In 1569–1572 King Zygmunt August started alterations w the Castle, the architects being Giovanni Battista di Quadro and Giacopo Pario.
The Curia Maior was altered so as provide a meeting place for Parliament, which premises for the Chamber of Deputies (Sejm - delegates of the gentry) on the ground floor (the Old Chamber of Deputies), and the Senate Chamber (where the Senators debated in the presence of the King) on the first floor. This was one of the first attempts in Europe to create a building that would be used solely for parliamentary purposes. The parliamentary character of the Curia Maior is stressed by the paintings of the facade — the coats-of-arms of Poland, of Lithuania, and of the various regions from which the delegates were elected. A new, Renaissance—style building, known as the "Royal House", was erected next to the Curia Maior. The king resided there when parliament was in session.
Read more about this topic: History Of The Royal Castle In Warsaw
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