Storming of the Bastille

Storming of the Bastille
Part of the French Revolution
Storming of The Bastille, Jean-Pierre Houël
Date 14 July 1789; 235 years ago (1789-07-14) Location Paris, Île-de-France, France 48°51′11″N 2°22′09″E / 48.85306°N 2.36917°E / 48.85306; 2.36917 Result Insurgent victory Bastille captured Prisoners of the Bastille freed
Belligerents
Civilian insurgents French Guards mutineers	Royal government
Commanders and leaders
Pierre Hulin*[1] Stanislas Maillard Jacob Job Élie[2]	Bernard-René Jourdan de Launay
Strength
688–1,000 insurgents 61 French Guards 5+ artillery pieces	114 soldiers 82 Invalides 32 Swiss soldiers of the Salis-Samade Regiment 30 artillery pieces
Casualties and losses
93 killed 15 died of wounds 73 wounded	1 killed 6–8 died after surrender 105–107 captured

The Storming of the Bastille (French: Prise de la Bastille [pʁiz də la bastij]) occurred in Paris, France, on 14 July 1789, when revolutionary insurgents attempted to storm and seize control of the medieval armoury, fortress and political prison known as the Bastille. After four hours of fighting and 94 deaths, the insurgents were able to enter the Bastille. The governor de Launay and several members of the garrison were killed after surrender. The Bastille then represented royal authority in the centre of Paris. The prison contained only seven inmates at the time of its storming and was already scheduled for demolition, but was seen by the revolutionaries as a symbol of the monarchy's abuse of power. Its fall was the flashpoint of the French Revolution.

In France, 14 July is a national holiday called Fête nationale française which commemorates both the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille and the Fête de la Fédération which occurred on its first anniversary in 1790. In English this holiday is commonly referred to as Bastille Day.