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+ Cannon	114 soldiers 82 Invalides 32 Swiss soldiers of the Salis-Samade Regiment 30 Cannon
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]), which occurred in Paris, France, on 14 July 1789, was an act of political violence by revolutionary insurgents who 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 of the Bastille, Bernard-René Jourdan de Launay, and several members of the garrison were killed after surrender. At the time, the Bastille 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.