The strategic position of Honfleur, at the mouth of the Seine, one of the main French rivers, and in contact with the sea, was revealed from the Hundred Years' War. Its port then served as a starting point for many French expeditions along the English coast before the city developed until the end of the 18th century thanks to shipbuilding, maritime trade, and distant expeditions. During the Renaissance, Honfleur, a corsair city, became one of France's leading ports to the Americas and, in particular, to the French colonies of the New Continent. The dismantling from 1664 of part of its fortifications made it possible to enlarge the Hâvre du dedans (inside haven), a simple stranding port, and to transform it into a real wet basin – the Vieux Bassin (Old Basin) - finished in 1684 and enlarged between 1720 and 1725.