Storming of the Bastille

Storming of the Bastille. The assault on the medieval fortress-prison of the Bastille in Paris on 14 July 1789 was a pivotal and symbolic event at the outset of the French Revolution. The successful capture of the stronghold by a revolutionary crowd demonstrated the power of popular insurrection and marked the collapse of royal authority in the capital. This event is commemorated annually in France as the national holiday Bastille Day.

Background and causes

The political crisis within the Kingdom of France reached a peak in the spring and summer of 1789. The Estates General of 1789, convened by Louis XVI to address a fiscal catastrophe, had transformed into the National Assembly following the Tennis Court Oath. Amidst rising tensions, the king dismissed the popular finance minister Jacques Necker on 11 July, an act perceived in Paris as a move toward royal counter-revolution. Fearing a military crackdown by regiments like the Royal-Allemand Dragoons under the duc de Broglie, Parisians began to arm themselves. On the morning of 14 July, a crowd seized approximately 28,000 muskets and several cannons from the Invalides military hospital, but found little gunpowder. The search for this vital ammunition logically turned toward the Bastille, a formidable fortress in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine that symbolized the arbitrary power of the Ancien Régime.

The assault

The confrontation began around mid-morning as delegations from the newly formed municipal government, the Commune of Paris, negotiated with the fortress's governor, the marquis de Launay. While parleying, Launay allowed a crowd to enter the outer courtyard, but subsequently ordered his garrison—composed of 82 retired soldiers from the Invalides and 32 Swiss Guards—to fire, causing numerous casualties. The besiegers, now including defectors from the Gardes Françaises who brought professional military expertise and cannons, were led by figures like former soldier Pierre-Augustin Hulin. After several hours of intense fighting, with cannons threatening the main gate, Launay capitulated around 5:00 PM under promise of safe conduct. The drawbridge was lowered, and the revolutionary forces surged into the Bastille, liberating its seven prisoners, who included forgers and individuals deemed mentally ill.

Immediate aftermath

The surrender did not prevent violent retribution. The captured governor Bernard-René de Launay and the prévôt des marchands Jacques de Flesselles, suspected of treachery, were dragged by the mob to the Place de Grève and summarily executed; their heads were placed on pikes and paraded through Paris. Louis XVI, upon being informed of the event by the duc de La Rochefoucauld-Liancourt, reportedly asked, "Is it a revolt?" to which the duke replied, "No, sire, it is a revolution." The king subsequently recalled Jacques Necker and, on 17 July, traveled to Paris to formally recognize the new authority, accepting a revolutionary cockade from Jean Sylvain Bailly, the new mayor of the Commune.

Long-term significance

The event had profound immediate and symbolic consequences. It validated the power of the armed populace and decisively shifted authority in Paris from the Crown to the revolutionary Commune and its National Guard, commanded by the marquis de Lafayette. The fall of the Bastille prompted a wave of municipal revolutions across France known as the Great Fear and forced the National Assembly to begin drafting the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Internationally, it signaled to courts like those of Great Britain and Austria the profound instability within France. The physical fortress was ordered demolished by the new government, with entrepreneur Pierre-François Palloy overseeing its destruction and turning its stones into commemorative relics.

Depictions in art and media

The event was rapidly immortalized in contemporary works, most famously in the stirring paintings by Jacques-Louis David and his pupil Jean-Baptiste Lallemand. Numerous popular prints, such as those by Claude Cholat, circulated widely, shaping public memory. In the 19th century, it became a central motif for Romantic artists like Eugène Delacroix and writers including Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities. The event has been featured in countless modern films, from Abel Gance's silent epic Napoléon to Robert Enrico's bicentennial miniseries La Révolution française. It remains a potent symbol in political discourse and popular culture, representing the overthrow of tyranny.

Category:French Revolution Category:Battles involving France Category:1789 in France