France > French History > Storming the Bastille (start of the revolution)

The Storming of the bastille

In 1789 the Storming of the Bastille occurred in Paris on the 14th July. The medieval fortress known as the Bastille only held 7 prisoners but the fall of the fortress was one of the starting points of the French Revolution.

It is said that around 600 people were involved and the total of the crowd was probably less than a thousand. The crowd assembled outside the Bastille around mid-morning, calling for the surrender of the prison, the removal of the guns and the release of the arms and gunpowder. Two representatives of the crowd outside were invited into the fortress to bargain, and another was allowed in around noon with exact demands. However, the negotiations dragged on and the crowd grew and became impatient.

Later on in the day (it’s said to be around 1.30pm) the crowd rushed into the outer courtyard and the drawbridge chains to the inner courtyard were cut. About this time gunfire began, though which side actually fired first will never be known. The crowd seemed to have felt they had been drawn into a trap and the fighting became more violent and intense, while attempts by deputies to organize a cease-fire were ignored by the attackers.

The firing continued and at around 3.00pm the attackers were helped by other men from among the regular troops, carrying weapons taken from the Invalides building earlier in the day. With the possibility of a reciprocated slaughter suddenly apparent Governor de Launay ordered a ceasefire at 5pm. A letter stating his terms was stuck through a gap in the inner gates. The demands were refused but de Launay gave in and opened gates to the inner courtyard and the vainqueurs raced in to release the fortress at 5.30pm.

Ninety-eight attackers and just one defender had died in the actual fighting. De Launay was captured and dragged towards the Hôtel de Ville in a rage of abuse. Outside the Hôtel a discussion as to his fate began. The anguished de Launay who had been badly beaten shouted “Enough! Let me die!”

De Launay was then stabbed repeatedly and fell to the ground; his head was sawn off and fixed on a pike to be carried through the streets.

The blame for the fall of the Bastille would in large part appear to lie with the inaction of the commanders of the substantial force of Royal Army troops on the Champs de Mars, who made no effort to get involved when the nearby Hotel des Invalides or the Bastille itself came under attack.