Louis was soon convinced by his brother Charles I, King of Naples and Sicily, to attack Tunis first, which would give them a strong base for attacking Egypt, the focus of Louis' previous crusade as well as the Fifth Crusade before him, both of which had been defeated there.
Namun Louis segera diyakinkan oleh saudaranya, Charles I dari Anjou untuk terlebih dahulu menyerang Tunis, yang mana akan memberi mereka suatu landasan yang kuat untuk menyerang Mesir, yaitu fokus dari perang salib Louis sebelumnya (Perang Salib Ketujuh) serta Perang Salib Kelima sebelum dia, yang mana keduanya mengalami kekalahan di sana.