French Revolution for Kids: Storming of the Bastille (2024)
");}
Storming of the Bastille
History >> French Revolution
The Storming of the Bastille took place in Paris, France on July 14, 1789. This violent attack on the government by the people of France signaled the start of the French Revolution.
What was the Bastille?
The Bastille was a fortress built in the late 1300s to protect Paris during the Hundred Years' War. By the late 1700s, the Bastille was mostly used as a state prison by King Louis XVI.
The revolutionaries who stormed the Bastille were mostly craftsmen and store owners who lived in Paris. They were members of a French social class called the Third Estate. There were around 1000 men who participated in the attack.
Why did they storm the Bastille?
The Third Estate had recently made demands of the king and had demanded that the commoners have more of a say in government. They were worried that he was preparing the French army for an attack. In order to arm themselves, they first took over the Hotel des Invalides in Paris where they were able to get muskets. However, they didn't have gun powder.
The Bastille was rumored to be full of political prisoners and was a symbol to many of the oppression of the king. It also had stores of gunpowder that the revolutionaries needed for their weapons.
Storming the Bastille
On the morning of July 14, the revolutionaries approached the Bastille. They demanded that the military leader of the Bastille, Governor de Launay, surrender the prison and hand over the gunpowder. He refused.
As negotiations dragged on, the crowd became agitated. In the early afternoon, they managed to get into the courtyard. Once inside the courtyard, they began to try and break into the main fortress. The soldiers in the Bastille became scared and fired into the crowd. The fighting had begun. The turning point in the fight came when some of the soldiers joined the side of the crowd.
De Launay soon realized that the situation was hopeless. He surrendered the fort and the revolutionaries took control.
Were people killed in the battle?
Around 100 of the revolutionaries were killed during the fighting. After surrendering, Governor de Launay and three of his officers were killed by the crowd.
Aftermath
The Storming of the Bastille set off a series of events that led to the overthrow of King Louis XVI and the French Revolution. The success of the revolutionaries gave commoners throughout France the courage to rise up and fight against the nobles who had ruled them for so long.
What does it represent today?
The date of the Storming of the Bastille, July 14, is celebrated today as the French National Day. Similar to the Fourth of July in the United States. In France it is called the "The National Celebration" or "The Fourteenth of July."
Interesting Facts about the Storming of the Bastille
The people beheaded Governor de Launay, put his head on a spike, and paraded it around the city of Paris.
There were only seven prisoners in the Bastille at the time. They were set free after the attack. Four of them were convicted forgers.
Over the next five months, the Bastille was destroyed and turned into a pile of ruins.
Today, the site of the Bastille is a square in Paris called the Place de la Bastille. There is a monumental tower in the center of the square commemorating the event.
The men who took part in the storming were considered heroes during the revolution and took the title "Vainqueurs de la Bastille", meaning "Winners of the Bastille."
Timeline and Events Timeline of the French Revolution Causes of the French Revolution Estates General National Assembly Storming of the Bastille Women's March on Versailles Reign of Terror The Directory
People Famous People of the French Revolution Marie Antoinette Napoleon Bonaparte Marquis de Lafayette Maximilien Robespierre
Other Jacobins Symbols of the French Revolution Glossary and Terms
Works Cited
History >> French Revolution
This site is a product of TSI (Technological Solutions, Inc.), Copyright 2024, All Rights Reserved.By using this site you agree to theTerms of Use.
On 14 July 1789, a mob advanced on the Bastille, intending to seize gunpowder that was stored within. After a fierce fight, the revolutionaries captured the prison. They found only seven prisoners. But the power of the people had been made known, encouraging the fighters for liberty and equality.
The Storming of the Bastille was when a mob of angry French citizens and rebellious soldiers attacked the Bastille on 14 July 1789. The fortress capitulated after the revolutionaries aimed cannons at its gate.
The French Revolution was a period of time in France when the people overthrew the monarchy and took control of the government. When did it take place? The French Revolution lasted 10 years from 1789 to 1799. It began on July 14, 1789 when revolutionaries stormed a prison called the Bastille.
July 14, 1789, was a turning point in the French Revolution, and a symbolic event in European history. It demonstrated that a force of people could challenge a monarchy and overpower it. The six months leading up to July 14 was a period of ever-increasing turmoil.
The medieval fortress, armory, and political prison in Paris known as the Bastille became a symbol of the abuse of the monarchy. Its fall on July 14, 1789 was the flashpoint of the French Revolution.
On 14 July 1789, a mob advanced on the Bastille, intending to seize gunpowder that was stored within. After a fierce fight, the revolutionaries captured the prison. They found only seven prisoners. But the power of the people had been made known, encouraging the fighters for liberty and equality.
Yet the Bastille was hated by all, because it stood for the despotic power of the king. The fortress was demolished and its stone fragments were sold in the markets to all those who wished to keep a souvenir of its destruction.
Bastille, medieval fortress on the east side of Paris that became, in the 17th and 18th centuries, a French state prison and a place of detention for important persons charged with various offenses.
The causes of the French Revolution can be narrowed to five main factors: the Estate System, absolutism, Enlightenment ideas, food shortages, and the American Revolution. The Estate System placed people into groups based on birth and was known as the Ancien Regime.
The storming of the Bastille was a victory for the idea of representative government, but it also established a precedent that would shape the subsequent course of the French Revolution.
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.
Final answer: The storming of the Bastille symbolized the uprising against monarchial tyranny and the rise of nationalism, marking a pivotal momentum in the French Revolution.
On the morning of July 14, 1789, hundreds of Parisians stormed the Bastille, a state prison, seizing 250 barrels of gunpowder and freeing its prisoners. The storming of the Bastille was a pivotal moment in the French Revolution, the violent result of a multitude of social, economic, and political crises.
What was the significance of the Bastille? This imposing prison was a symbol of the Ancien Regime and tyrannical government. It was believed to contain political prisoners. Therefore the event suggested that the people had taken the side of the Revolution and signified that the National Assembly could not be dispersed.
Bastille, medieval fortress on the east side of Paris that became, in the 17th and 18th centuries, a French state prison and a place of detention for important persons charged with various offenses.
The National Assembly and revolutionist attacked the Bastille in response to the King Louis XVI sending troops to paris. The storming of the Bastille armed the revolutionist. After the revolutionists seize Paris and the countryside, King Louis XVI was forced to accept the constitutional monarchy.
From history.com, Bastille Day: “Bastille Day is a holiday celebrating the storming of the Bastille—a military fortress and prison—on July 14, 1789, in a violent uprising that helped usher in the French Revolution.
Address: 55021 Usha Garden, North Larisa, DE 19209
Phone: +6812240846623
Job: Corporate Healthcare Strategist
Hobby: Singing, Listening to music, Rafting, LARPing, Gardening, Quilting, Rappelling
Introduction: My name is Foster Heidenreich CPA, I am a delightful, quaint, glorious, quaint, faithful, enchanting, fine person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
