Dragsholm Slot was built by the bishop of Roskilde around 1215. Originally, it resembled a palace more than a fort. It was fortified in the Middle Ages and they must have done a good job. During a war known as The Count’s Feud in the 1530’s, it was the only castle on Zealand to remain standing.
After the Reformation, the land and castles of the church were delivered to the hands of the Danish Crown. At this point, the fortified castle was converted to a royal prison for nobility and religious heads.
During one of the many wars between Denmark and Sweden, the castle was badly damaged. Basically, the Swedes tried to blow it up and they did a pretty decent job. After the war subsided, the King was in massive debt. In 1694, he sold off the castle to a nobleman who rebuilt the castle in the Baroque style of the era.
The family line of that nobleman died out in 1932, a pretty good run, and the castle was turned over to the Central Land Board. At that point, they sold the estate to a private owner named J.F. Bøttger.