Seven prisoners were held in the Bastille when it was stormed on 14 July 1789.
The fortress had once been a major royal prison, but by the Revolution it was largely obsolete and expensive to maintain. Its symbolic importance far exceeded the number of inmates inside. The prisoners included four accused forgers, two men confined at the request of their families, and the Comte de Solages, imprisoned by his father.
The crowd attacked mainly to seize the Bastille’s gunpowder and arms, not simply to release prisoners. The Marquis de Sade, often associated with the prison, had been transferred to Charenton ten days earlier. His removal is one reason popular images can exaggerate how full the Bastille was.
After the garrison surrendered, the seven inmates were freed. The fortress’s fall became a defining symbol of the French Revolution, even though it held so few prisoners and was already scheduled for demolition.