Global History 10 · The French Revolution

The Storming of the Bastille

July 14, 1789 · a narrated documentary, 3:17 · captions on screen

The question it ends on

Was July 14 a victory for freedom? Or the day the Revolution learned that violence works?

Before you show it

Graphic moments, as period prints and paintings (no gore close-ups):

0:11a 1789 print of heads carried on pikes (red tint)

2:11an etching of fallen attackers, then de Launay seized and a print of heads on pikes (red tint)

2:55City Hall square with pikes in the crowd

What happens

  1. June 20The new National Assembly swears the Tennis Court Oath.
  2. July 11Louis XVI fires Necker, the popular finance minister.
  3. July 12Camille Desmoulins calls Parisians to arms at the Palais-Royal.
  4. July 14, morningThe crowd takes about 30,000 muskets from the Invalides, but no gunpowder.
  5. About 1:30 PMAttackers cut the drawbridge chains and flood into the Bastille's courtyard. The defenders open fire.
  6. After 3 PMFrench Guards, royal soldiers who joined the crowd, aim cannons at the gate.
  7. About 5 PMGovernor de Launay surrenders. 98 attackers have died. The crowd kills de Launay and parades his head on a pike.
  8. July 15 to 17The king sends his troops away, recalls Necker and comes to Paris.
  9. 1789 to 1790Workers tear the Bastille down. Lafayette sends its main key to George Washington.
  10. 1880July 14 becomes France's national holiday.

Why it matters

  • The king backed down
  • The National Assembly was safe
  • The Bastille was torn down
  • July 14: national holiday since 1880
  • A darker lesson: a crowd with weapons can beat a king

Words to know

Lettre de cachet
A sealed order signed by the king that could send someone to prison with no trial.
National Assembly
The new assembly of representatives that the Third Estate formed in June 1789.
French Guards
Royal soldiers stationed in Paris. On July 14 many joined the crowd and brought cannons.
Les Invalides
A Paris hospital and home for old soldiers, with an armory.

Pictures used

  • Jean-Pierre Houël, The Storming of the Bastille, 1789 Public domain source
  • J.-F. Janinet, De Launay Led to City Hall, c. 1789 CC0 source
  • Anonymous, "The Memorable Day," July 14, 1789 CC0 source
  • Charles Thévenin, The Storming of the Bastille, 1793 Public domain source
  • J.-B. Lallemand, Cavalry Charge in the Tuileries, July 12, 1789 Public domain source
  • Jean-Siméon Chardin, The Provider, 1739 Public domain source
  • After J.-L. David, The Tennis Court Oath (19th-century print) CC0 source
  • Anonymous, Army Camp on the Champ de Mars, July 1789 CC0 source
  • A. de Saint-Aubin after Duplessis, Jacques Necker, 1784 Public domain source
  • J.-B. Lesueur, Desmoulins at the Palais-Royal, c. 1790 CC0 source
  • J.-B. Lallemand, Seizing Arms at the Invalides, 1789 Public domain source
  • J.-L. Prieur, Taking Arms at the Invalides, July 14, 1789 CC0 source
  • The Bastille and the Porte Saint-Antoine, 18th century CC0 source
  • Lettre de cachet concerning Voltaire, 1717 CC0 source
  • Nicolas de Largillière, Voltaire, c. 1718 CC0 source
  • Israël Silvestre, The Bastille, c. 1650s CC0 source
  • Claude Cholat, The Siege of the Bastille, 1789 Public domain source
  • Abraham Girardet, Siege of the Bastille, c. 1789 CC0 source
  • Jean-Pierre Houël, View of the Siege of the Bastille, 1789 Public domain source
  • Anonymous, The Taking of the Bastille, 1789 Public domain source
  • Anonymous, The Taking of the Bastille, 1789 Public domain source
  • Chenon père, The Marquis de Launay, 1789 Public domain source
  • Laurent Guyot, De Launay Taken to City Hall, c. 1789 CC0 source
  • Charles Thévenin, The Storming of the Bastille (etching), c. 1793 CC0 source
  • J.-L. Prieur, The Arrest of de Launay, 1789 CC0 source
  • Anonymous, "This Is How We Take Revenge on Traitors," 1789 CC0 source
  • Antoine-François Callet, Louis XVI, 1786 Public domain source
  • J.-F. Janinet, The King Leaves the Assembly, July 15, 1789 Public domain source
  • Hubert Robert, The Bastille Being Torn Down, 1789 Public domain source
  • Joseph-Désiré Court, Lafayette, 1834 Public domain source
  • Charles Thévenin, The Festival of the Federation, 1792 CC0 source
  • Anonymous, City Hall Square on the Day the Bastille Fell, 1789 CC0 source
  • Plan of Paris in 1789 (City of Paris, 1887), Stanford Libraries Public domain source

Music

  • Ludwig van Beethoven, Egmont Overture, Op. 84, used for title card and the king backing down Public domain
  • Ludwig van Beethoven, Coriolan Overture, Op. 62, used for Desmoulins, the Invalides, the Bastille, and the ending Public domain
  • Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 3 "Eroica," II. Funeral March, used for the 98 dead Public domain
  • Joseph Haydn, String Quartet Op. 64 No. 5 "Lark," III. Menuetto, used for the king's diary Public domain

Recordings: Musopen Collection (Public Domain Mark).

Sound effects

  • aaronsiler_Musket-Battle.wav by aaronsiler CC BY 4.0 source
  • CannonFireFromAlamance.wav by CLaforet CC BY 4.0 source
  • CW_Cannon_Single1.wav by richardemoore CC BY 4.0 source
  • angry mob loop.aiff by bevibeldesign CC0 source
  • Axe chopping wood by xkeril CC0 source
  • Big Metal Chain by qubodup CC0 source
  • Civil War Battle by SoundsCoolio CC0 source
  • Crowd Shouting.wav by DickBlox CC0 source
  • Crowd/Mob/Riot Noise (Voices Only) - 14 people, 2 minutes HENRY VI by FillMat CC0 source
  • Gathering Stone Resources.flac by qubodup CC0 source
  • Medium Crowd Yelling At Fight by IENBA CC0 source
  • musket.wav by fennelliott CC0 source
  • Quill and Parchment.WAV by Nickh69 CC0 source
  • R08-09-Large Unhappy Crowd.wav by craigsmith CC0 source
  • S11-28 Outdoor crowd reactions; cheering; very happy.wav by craigsmith CC0 source
  • S21-01 Musket shots.wav by craigsmith CC0 source
  • S21-03 Musket volley.wav by craigsmith CC0 source
  • S21-05 Muskets firing in battle.wav by craigsmith CC0 source
  • snare - Premier Artist Maple - loose - buzz roll x3.wav by bigjoedrummer CC0 source
  • TOLLING BELL by SamuelGremaud CC0 source