Megan Sheppard French 112, section 1 Mrs.

Bevins November 29, 2013 The Storming of the Bastille The Bastille was a prison in Paris that was originally built as the Chastel Saint-Antoine during the Hundred Years war. After the war, Cardinal Richiliue began using it as a state prison. During King Louis XVIs reign in France, the Bastille became a symbol of the monarchys absolute power and for this reason was the beginning place of the French Revolution. Construction on the Bastille began in 1370 by order of King Charles V, but was not finished until 1557. Its intent was to be a city gate and King Charles VI made it into a stronghold before Cardinal Richilieu began using it as a state prison; there were 40 residents on average during its use as a prison (Jones). The conditions the prisoners lived in are described in the 1780 edition of Historical Remarks on the Castle of the Bastille in which it states that there were five different ranks of chambers that housed prisoners of different crimes and ranks. The worst of these chambers were located next to the dungeons. The prisoners were given a pound of bread and a bottle of wine per day, however, this wine was said to be flat and very bad. The Historical Remarks on the Castle of the Bastille was an anonymous pamphlet originally published in 1774 in which more conditions within the prison are described. This pamphlet was not the first of its kind published though; the prisoners were forced to take on oath of secrecy upon confinement in the prison,

2 but Constantin de Revenille was the first to break this oath when he published Linquisition Franois, ou, lhistoire de la Bastille (Hansen). The circulation of the previously mentioned pamphlets sparked indignation among the people. During the reign of King Louis XVI, Frances economy was doing poorly and most of the people were living in poverty due to the increasing taxes; however, the monarchy continued living lavishly and the people steadily grew incensed about the conditions in the streets compared to the conditions within the monarchy. On July 14, 1789 a riotous group gathered in the streets and broke into the Esplanade des Invalides weapons depot. The ammunition had been moved to the Bastille earlier which prompted the march to the Bastille (Mapping Paris, The Paris Bastille). At this time, the prison was governed by the Marquis de Launay and held seven prisoners. The group moved to the Bastille to demand ammunition and the Marquis de Launay held them off until a rescue team arrived. However, this rescue team joined the rioters instead of defending the fortress. Eventually, the rioters charged the Bastille, gaining entrance, and killing most of the guards. The Marquis de Launay was beheaded and his head was paraded through the streets on a stake. This event marked the beginning of the French Revolution and became known as la fte nationale. The fall of the Bastille is still celebrated in France because of its importance as the beginning of the French Revolution. After the revolution, France was never ruled by an absolute monarchy again. The revolutionaries adopted the qualities of liberty, equality, and fraternity, which are still recognized in France. Today the slogan Vive le 14 juillet is associated with the holiday (Bastille Day).

3 Works Cited Hansen, Kelli. Historical Remarks on the Castle of the Bastille. 14 July 2011. 29 November 2013. Web. <www.library.missouri.edu>. Historical Remarks and Anecdotes on the Castle of the Bastille. London, 1774. Print. Jones, Robert. Top 5 Facts: The Bastille. 13 July 2011. Damian Butt, et al. 29 November 2013. Web. <www.howitworksdaily.com>. Mapping Paris, The Paris Bastille. 29 November 2013. Web. <www.mtholyoke.edu>. "Bastille Day". Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia Britannica Online. Encyclopdia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 30 Nov. 2013 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/55627/Bastille-Day>.