After the defeat of the Arabs in Tortosa at the hands of Count Ramon Berenguer IV, the land and the coast of the Alfama desert were not a safe passage for the new conquerors or the Christian settlers. They were constantly attacked, by land and sea, by the crews of the Saracen ships which often took shelter in the bays along this coast. Peter II devised and founded the new order for the protection of the coastal land. The Order of Sant Jordi d’Alfama was founded in 1201; at the same time the King took possession of land and property of the Templar Joan d’Almenara, who acted as the Royal Chaplain and Administrator in charge of raising funds for the construction of the fortress. The castle endured moments of plenitude and misery over three hundred years. During the time of the Catalan Revolt in 1650, the Castilian Ships shot through the walls of the old castle thereby not allowing the French, who had just been driven out from the city of Tortosa, to use the castle.