The history of Le Grau-du-Roi is fairly recent. A torrent of the Rhône opened a breach in the coastal strip at the end of the 16th century. The channel thus created was first named Grau Henri as King Henri IV of France had arranged it by having two stone moles built to protect it from silting up. It was later baptized Grau-du-Roi, and, in the 18th century, the channel was opened up to the town of Aigues-Mortes. The process allowed the development of Le Grau-du-Roi and the settling of Italian immigrants in the 19th century. Among the town's distinctive elements are the arenas inaugurated in 1960.