# Canonical recap data for Fall of the Bastille Day (1789)
# Source: https://recap.at/1789/bastille-day
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: bastille-day
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1789/bastille-day"
title: Fall of the Bastille Day
aliases:
- Storming of the Bastille
- Prise de la Bastille
- 14 July 1789
- Bastille Day
subtitle: Parisians stormed the royal fortress on July 14th, a symbolic act that catalyzed the violent overthrow of feudalism across Europe.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1789-07-14
datePrecision: day
year: 1789
decade: 1780
country:
name: France
slug: france
summaryShort: "The Storming of the Bastille, 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 "
summaryLong: The Storming of the Bastille, 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 surrendering. 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.
lede: On July 14, 1789, Parisians stormed the Bastille, a medieval fortress used as a state prison, in an act of political defiance against royal authority. The assault lasted four hours, resulted in 94 deaths, and became the symbolic opening move of the French Revolution. The event marked the moment when revolutionary sentiment shifted from debate to armed action.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/La_Bastille_20060809.jpg/1280px-La_Bastille_20060809.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Unknown author Unknown author · via Wikipedia
importance: 91
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Date
  value: 14 July 1789
- label: Location
  value: Paris, France
- label: Duration
  value: Approximately 4 hours
- label: Confirmed deaths
  value: 94 (estimates vary; 83-98 commonly cited)
- label: Governor of the Bastille
  value: Bernard-René de Launay
- label: Prison population stormed
  value: 7 inmates (all subsequently released)
- label: Estimated crowd size
  value: 8,000+ insurgents and supporters
- label: Year Bastille was constructed
  value: 1369 (completed 1382)
timeline:
- date: 1789-07-11
  title: Louis XVI dismisses Necker
  description: Finance Minister Jacques Necker, seen as sympathetic to reform, is dismissed by King Louis XVI. The move triggers unrest in Paris and accelerates revolutionary sentiment.
- date: 1789-07-12
  title: Camille Desmoulins rallies the crowds
  description: Orator Camille Desmoulins addresses a crowd at the Palais-Royal, calling for armed resistance. An estimated 12,000-15,000 listen and begin organizing.
- date: 1789-07-13
  title: Arms and ammunition seized
  description: Insurgents storm the Invalides hospital complex and requisition 32,000 rifles and ammunition stores. No organized military resistance materializes.
- date: 1789-07-14
  title: Siege begins at dawn
  description: Around 8 a.m., a crowd of several thousand marches on the Bastille fortress. Governor de Launay initially negotiates but tensions escalate rapidly.
- date: 1789-07-14
  title: Courtyard breached; de Launay killed
  description: "At approximately 5:30 p.m., the outer courtyard is overrun. Governor de Launay is captured and executed. The fortress surrenders within minutes."
- date: 1789-07-15
  title: Louis XVI capitulates
  description: The King recalls Necker to his position and withdraws royal troops from Paris. The National Guard is formally established under Lafayette's command.
- date: 1789-07-17
  title: Louis visits Paris; cockade adopted
  description: Louis XVI enters Paris and accepts the tricolor cockade (red, white, and blue), symbolizing royal acceptance of revolutionary authority.
- date: 1789-08-04
  title: Feudalism abolished by decree
  description: The National Assembly votes to formally abolish feudal privileges in a night session. Land reform and peasant rights become law.
- date: 1789-08-26
  title: Declaration of Rights of Man adopted
  description: The National Assembly adopts the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, establishing principles of liberty, equality, and popular sovereignty.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storming_of_the_Bastille"
  title: Fall of the Bastille
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The fall of the Bastille functioned as a psychological rupture—it demonstrated that the ancien régime could be physically challenged and overcome. Within weeks, the National Assembly abolished feudalism and drafted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, reshaping European political thought for the next century.
categories:
- revolution
metaDescription: "The Bastille storming on July 14, 1789: how a prison raid became the French Revolution's defining moment."
wikidataQid: Q6539
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260526141206/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storming_of_the_Bastille"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-26
  label: Fall of the Bastille
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storming_of_the_Bastille"
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: Gazette de France
  publisherSlug: gazette-de-france
  headline: Événements Tumultueux à Paris - La Bastille Prise par la Multitude
  publishedAt: 1789-07-15
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival record
  excerpt: "FR: 'La forteresse de la Bastille, symbole du despotisme royal, a été emportée d'assaut par les insurgés parisiens.' / EN: 'The fortress of the Bastille, symbol of royal despotism, has been stormed by Parisian insurgents.' Synthesized from period reporting - Official gazette accounts describe four hours of violent combat and the liberation of seven prisoners."
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: France
- publisher: Morning Chronicle
  publisherSlug: morning-chronicle
  headline: Insurrection in Paris - The Bastille Surrendered to the Mob
  publishedAt: 1789-07-20
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival record
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The fortress has fallen after desperate resistance, with nearly a hundred lives lost in the struggle. This violent seizure of the royal stronghold marks an unprecedented act of popular revolt against the French crown.
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Moniteur Universel
  publisherSlug: moniteur-universel
  headline: La Révolution à Paris - Destruction de la Bastille par le Peuple
  publishedAt: 1789-07-17
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival record
  excerpt: "FR: 'Le peuple a pris les armes et s'est emparé de la Bastille, mettant fin à plus de trois siècles de tyrannie.' / EN: 'The people took up arms and seized the Bastille, ending more than three centuries of tyranny.' Synthesized from period reporting - Early revolutionary accounts frame the storming as a triumph of popular sovereignty over autocratic rule."
  significance: 92
  type: newspaper
  region: France
- publisher: Wiener Zeitung
  publisherSlug: wiener-zeitung
  headline: Tumult in Paris - Die Erstürmung der Bastille
  publishedAt: 1789-08-01
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival record
  excerpt: "DE: 'Die Festung wurde nach heftigem Kampf von aufständischen Parisern erobert.' / EN: 'The fortress was captured by rebelling Parisians after fierce combat.' Synthesized from period reporting - Vienna's press reports the dramatic fall of the medieval fortress with cautious concern for European stability."
  significance: 75
  type: newspaper
  region: Austria
translations:
es:
lede: El 14 de julio de 1789, parisinos asaltaron la Bastilla, una fortaleza medieval utilizada como prisión estatal, en un acto de desafío político contra la autoridad real. El asalto duró cuatro horas, resultó en 94 muertes y se convirtió en el movimiento simbólico de apertura de la Revolución Francesa. El evento marcó el momento en que el sentimiento revolucionario pasó del debate a la acción armada.
summaryShort: El asalto a la Bastilla, que ocurrió en París, Francia, el 14 de julio de 1789, fue un acto de violencia política por insurgentes revolucionarios que intentaron asaltar y tomar el control de la armería medieval, fortaleza y prisión política conocida como la Bastilla. Después de cuatro horas de combate y 94 muertes, los insurgentes
summaryLong: El asalto a la Bastilla, que ocurrió en París, Francia, el 14 de julio de 1789, fue un acto de violencia política por insurgentes revolucionarios que intentaron asaltar y tomar el control de la armería medieval, fortaleza y prisión política conocida como la Bastilla. Después de cuatro horas de combate y 94 muertes, los insurgentes lograron entrar en la Bastilla. El gobernador de la Bastilla, Bernard-René Jourdan de Launay, y varios miembros de la guarnición fueron asesinados después de rendirse. En ese momento, la Bastilla representaba la autoridad real en el centro de París. La prisión contenía solo siete reclusos en el momento de su asalto y ya estaba programada para su demolición, pero fue vista por los revolucionarios como un símbolo del abuso de poder de la monarquía. Su caída fue el punto de inflamación de la Revolución Francesa.
generatedAt: "2026-06-18T03:55:30.307Z"
fr:
lede: Le 14 juillet 1789, les Parisiens ont pris d'assaut la Bastille, une forteresse médiévale utilisée comme prison d'État, en un acte de défi politique contre l'autorité royale. L'assaut a duré quatre heures, a fait 94 morts et est devenu le moment symbolique d'ouverture de la Révolution française. L'événement a marqué le moment où le sentiment révolutionnaire s'est déplacé du débat à l'action armée.
summaryShort: La Prise de la Bastille, qui s'est déroulée à Paris, France, le 14 juillet 1789, était un acte de violence politique par des insurgés révolutionnaires qui ont tenté de prendre d'assaut et de saisir le contrôle de l'arsenal médiéval, de la forteresse et de la prison politique connue sous le nom de Bastille. Après quatre heures de combats et 94 morts, les insurgés
summaryLong: La Prise de la Bastille, qui s'est déroulée à Paris, France, le 14 juillet 1789, était un acte de violence politique par des insurgés révolutionnaires qui ont tenté de prendre d'assaut et de saisir le contrôle de l'arsenal médiéval, de la forteresse et de la prison politique connue sous le nom de Bastille. Après quatre heures de combats et 94 morts, les insurgés ont pu entrer à la Bastille. Le gouverneur de la Bastille, Bernard-René Jourdan de Launay, et plusieurs membres de la garnison ont été tués après leur reddition. À l'époque, la Bastille représentait l'autorité royale au centre de Paris. La prison ne contenait que sept détenus au moment de sa prise d'assaut et était déjà prévue pour être démolie, mais a été considérée par les révolutionnaires comme un symbole de l'abus de pouvoir de la monarchie. Sa chute a été le point d'inflammation de la Révolution française.
generatedAt: "2026-06-18T03:55:33.550Z"
de:
lede: Am 14. Juli 1789 stürmten Pariser die Bastille, eine mittelalterliche Festung, die als Staatsgefängnis genutzt wurde, als Akt des politischen Widerstands gegen die königliche Autorität. Der Sturm dauerte vier Stunden, forderte 94 Todesfälle und wurde zum symbolischen Auftakt der Französischen Revolution. Das Ereignis markierte den Moment, in dem sich die revolutionäre Stimmung von Debatten zu bewaffnetem Handeln verschob.
summaryShort: Der Sturm auf die Bastille, der am 14. Juli 1789 in Paris, Frankreich, stattfand, war ein Akt der politischen Gewalt durch revolutionäre Aufständische, die versuchten, die mittelalterliche Waffenkammer, Festung und das politische Gefängnis Bastille zu stürmen und unter ihre Kontrolle zu bringen. Nach vier Stunden Kampf und 94 Todesfällen gelang es den Aufständischen,
summaryLong: Der Sturm auf die Bastille, der am 14. Juli 1789 in Paris, Frankreich, stattfand, war ein Akt der politischen Gewalt durch revolutionäre Aufständische, die versuchten, die mittelalterliche Waffenkammer, Festung und das politische Gefängnis Bastille zu stürmen und unter ihre Kontrolle zu bringen. Nach vier Stunden Kampf und 94 Todesfällen gelang es den Aufständischen, in die Bastille einzudringen. Der Gouverneur der Bastille, Bernard-René Jourdan de Launay, und mehrere Mitglieder der Garnison wurden nach ihrer Kapitulation getötet. Zu dieser Zeit verkörperte die Bastille die königliche Autorität im Zentrum von Paris. Das Gefängnis enthielt zum Zeitpunkt des Sturms nur sieben Insassen und sollte bereits abgerissen werden, wurde aber von den Revolutionären als Symbol des Machtmissbrauchs der Monarchie angesehen. Sein Fall war der Auslöser der Französischen Revolution.
generatedAt: "2026-06-18T03:55:37.266Z"
taxonomy:
domain: military
eventTypes:
- war
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- transformation
impactRadius: regional
velocity: gradual
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: coordinated
domainCoupling: multi_domain
