On July 14, 1789, the citizens of Paris stormed the Bastille. This intimidating medieval structure was the symbol of monarchical tyranny. The attack on the prison was triggered by the dismissal of the popular finance minister Necker. The bourgeois revolutionaries in Paris, especially Camille Desmoulins, called on the population to actively resist, which then materialized in the capture of the prison. Nearly 100 people were killed on July 14. But the bourgeoisie felt strengthened by this popular uprising. It was now clear that a revolution was taking place in France.
14 July 1789
10:00 · More and more people gather in front of the Bastille. They are armed with muskets they seized from the Hôtel des Invalides.
12:00 · Unsuccessful negotiations between representatives of the Parisian citizens and the commander of the Bastille, Bernard-René de Launay.
13:30 · The crowd pushes into the outer courtyard. The royal troops inside the Bastille open fire. More than 80 dead.
15:00 · Soldiers of the French Guard join the insurgents and aim cannons at the Bastille.
17:00 · The Bastille capitulates. The crowd storms the fortress and frees the few prisoners.
18:00 · Commander de Launay is taken by the crowd to the Hôtel de Ville. He is killed there. His head is carried through the city on a pike.
Quotes
Ah, my friends, kill me, kill me at once, do not make me linger. Last words of Bernard-René de Launay, commander of the Bastille
I heard the cries of joy of the raging crowd, joking with scraps of human flesh while shouting: Long live liberty! Long live the king! Saint-Just
The victors of the Bastille were the greatest scoundrels in Paris. Mirabeau
On July 14, 1789, the citizens of Paris stormed the Bastille. This intimidating medieval structure was the symbol of monarchical tyranny. The attack on the prison was triggered by the dismissal of the popular finance minister Necker. The bourgeois revolutionaries in Paris, especially Camille Desmoulins, called on the population to actively resist, which then materialized in the capture of the prison. Nearly 100 people were killed on July 14. But the bourgeoisie felt strengthened by this popular uprising. It was now clear that a revolution was taking place in France.
