Fort Saint-Jean in Marseille

You're standing at Fort Saint-Jean, the rugged fortress guarding the entrance to the Vieux-Port, Marseille's Old Port. Look across the water. That's Fort Saint-Nicolas on the other side. Louis XIV had both forts built around 1660. He joked that the people of Marseille were so fond of nice fortresses that he wanted one of his own. The real reason was less charming. The town had just risen up against its governor, so the cannons pointed inland, at the city, not out to sea.