About the Bastille

As the infamous prison in Paris, the Bastille was home to many famous prisoners such as Voltaire, the Marquis de Sade and, the most famous and mysterious prisoner, the Man in the Iron Mask. Most notably known as a contributing factor to beginning the French Revolution, the Bastille served multiple functions over its approximately five-century lifetime. Today, the original outline of the Bastille can still be seen in the eastern streets of Paris in the form of special paving stones.

History

Originating as the Saint-Antoine gate, the Bastille, formally known as Bastille Saint-Antoine, was constructed during the Hundred Years' War under the reign of King Charles V and King Charles VI. Initially, the Bastille was a gate located in the eastern end of Paris, but from 1370 through 1383 extensions were made to alter the structure into a fortress meant to defend the east end of Paris, particularly the Hotel Saint-Pol royal palace.
After the war, the Bastille became a state prison. Shrouded in secrecy, the Bastille eventually transformed into one of the darkest symbols of royal despotism due to the arbitrary nature of the arrests for soon-to-be Bastille inmates under the strict guidelines imposed by King Louis XIII.
In what as seen as one of the crucial events leading up to the French Revolution, Parisians stormed the Bastille on July 14, 1789. Combined with the Tennis Court Oath, these two events are considered the onset of the French Revolution. After the French Revolution, the Bastille was demolished.

Size

Following the expansion, the Bastille looked like an irregular rectangle with eight towers each 70 meters long, 30 meters wide, with towers and walls 25 meters high encompassed by a broad moat. The eight closely packed towers surrounded two courtyards and an armory. By November 1789, much of the Bastille structure had been largely demolished.

Geography

Number 232 rue Saint-Antoine in Paris was home to the Bastille. While not much is left of the structure, the original location of the Bastille is marked in the pavement of streets and sidewalks.

Function

Originally, the Bastille served as a fortress protecting the eastern end of Paris against Anglo-Burgundian forces during the Hundred Years' War. The broad terraces connecting the towers enabled soldiers to rapidly move to threatened sectors of the fortress without descending and made the Bastille easily secured by the military. Following the war, the Bastille served as a castle and a keeper of royal treasure.
During the first half of the 17th century, Cardinal Richelieu, under the command of King Louis XIII, converted the royal fortress into a state prison for the upper class. Mainly housing political and religious prisoners, the Bastille began to acquire a poor reputation under the cloak of secrecy King Louis XIII forced the prisoners and guards to maintain regarding what happened inside the Bastille walls. Bastille prisoners included common criminals like forgers and embezzlers as well as those imprisoned for religious reasons and those responsible for writing forbidden pamphlets. Despite its poor reputation, the Bastille actually had quite comfortable accommodations for its prisoners.

Significance

While the Bastille served as protection against enemy invaders and as a prison for political and religious criminals, the Bastille is most notably remembered for being the turning point in the start of the French Revolution when Parisians stormed the towers to acquire the gunpowder and arms stored inside.
Many historians contend that the storming of the Bastille serves more as a rallying point symbolizing an act of rebellion than as an act of defiance. Either way, since July 14, 1880, Bastille Day commemorates the end of the French monarchy. Overall, the Bastille symbolizes French freedom from a tyrannous, repressive monarchy.