The Storming of the Bastille was a decisive moment in the early months of the French Revolution (1789-1799). On 14 July 1789, the Bastille, a fortress and political prison symbolizing the oppressiveness of France’s Ancien Régime was attacked by a crowd mainly consisting of sans-culottes, or lower classes. The anniversary is still celebrated in France as the country’s national holiday.
More about: Storming of the BastilleServer Costs Fundraiser 2024
Help our mission to provide free history education to the world! Please donate and contribute to covering our server costs in 2024. With your support, millions of people learn about history entirely for free every month.
$3926 / $18000
Definition
Timeline
-
c. 1400The fortress of the Bastille in Paris is converted into a state prison.
-
27 Jun 1789France's three estates are reconciled into a unified National Assembly; the Estates-General concludes.
-
c. Jul 1789 - c. Nov 1789The Bastille fortress, symbol of the tyranny of the French monarchy, is demolished.
-
9 Jul 1789The National Assembly asks King Louis XVI of France to withdraw the troops concentrated around Paris. He refuses.
-
11 Jul 1789Jacques Necker, popular Chief Minister of France, is fired from King Louis XVI's cabinet for a second time and ordered into exile.
-
12 Jul 1789 - 14 Jul 1789The dismissal of Jacques Necker causes over 6,000 Parisians to take to the streets. They fight with soldiers, burn toll booths, and raid armories and gunsmiths for weapons.
-
14 Jul 1789The Bastille in Paris is stormed.
-
16 Jul 1789The Comte d'Artois, Louis XVI's brother, flees Versailles with other royalists after the Storming of the Bastille, becoming the first wave of emigres to flee the French Revolution.
-
14 Jul 1790The Fete de la Federation is celebrated in France to mark the first anniversary of the fall of the Bastille; the first time 14 July is celebrated as a national holiday.
