In order to free himself from waiting for the goodwill of foreign princes to venture on his future crusades, King Louis IX (Saint Louis) embarked on the colossal project of creating the fortified city of Aigues-Mortes. The sovereign aimed to give his kingdom its own port town and launched the works in 1240. A few years later, the Tour de Constance and a castle were erected, and people started to flock around these first constructions, attracted by the privileges granted by the king for the city's foundation. The construction of the ramparts surrounding Aigues-Mortes began in 1266 and was not completed until about thirty years later under the reign of Philippe le Bel, grandson of Louis IX.