This Day in History: 14 June 2020
14 June 1789
231 years ago, today, revolutionaries and troops in Paris stormed the Bastille, a royal fortress and prison that had symbolised the tyranny of the Bourbon monarchs. France had been moving quickly toward revolution at the beginning of the 1789 summer. The Bastille was feared to be a target by Bernard-René Jordan de Launay, the military governor, and so requested reinforcements. Royal authorities subsequently transferred 250 barrels of gunpower to the Bastille, and Launay ordered his men into the fortress before raising the drawbridges. Two days afterwards, a great, revolutionary crowd, armed with swords and makeshift weapons, began to gather around the Bastille.
Launay's men were able to hold back the mob, but as more Parisians advanced forward, Launay surrendered over the fortress. He and his men were taken into custody, and the gunpowder and cannons were seized. Launay, instead of being tried by a revolutionary council, was murdered by a mob when he arrived at the Hotel de Ville. This dramatic event marked the beginning of the French Revolution, a decade-long period of political turmoil and terror. King Louis XVI was eventually overthrown and executed along with his wife, Marie-Antionette, when they were sent to the guillotine for treason in 1793. Tens of thousands of people were also executed. This event is now celebrated as Bastille Day, when the oldest and largest military parade in Europe is held on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
Want to find out more about the history of Bastille Day? Click here for more information, or here for more on the French Revolution.
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