Bastille << bas TEEL >> was a great fortress in Paris that stood as a symbol of royal tyranny. On July 14, 1789, at the beginning of the French Revolution, a large crowd of Parisians captured the Bastille. This act convinced King Louis XVI to withdraw his troops from Paris and to accept the French Revolution. Ever since then, the people of France have celebrated July 14 as their national holiday.
Bastille is a French word for a strongly fortified structure. About 1370, King Charles V built the Bastille of Paris as a fortress. Later, it was used as a prison for people who displeased the kings or their officials. By 1789, the Bastille held only a handful of prisoners. On July 14, the revolutionists surrounded the Bastille in order to seize gunpowder that was stored there. Troops fired on the menacing crowd. But the people stormed into the fortress, overpowered the troops, and killed the prison’s governor. The following day, the people started to tear down the Bastille.
