What event in 1789 is commemorated by Bastille Day?

Bastille Day commemorates the Storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789.

Parisians attacked the Bastille because they wanted weapons and ammunition amid political turmoil, food shortages and fears that royal troops would crush the revolutionary movement. The fortress was both an armoury and a state prison, and its association with arbitrary royal imprisonment made it a powerful symbol of absolute monarchy.

After several hours of fighting, the garrison surrendered. The crowd found only seven prisoners inside, so the event’s importance was symbolic and political rather than a dramatic prison rescue. The Bastille’s fall demonstrated that royal authority could be challenged by popular action and became a flashpoint of the French Revolution.

France’s 14 July national holiday also recalls the Fête de la Fédération held on the same date in 1790, a more conciliatory celebration of national unity. This dual meaning explains why the official French name is la fête nationale française, while English speakers commonly say “Bastille Day.” The Reign of Terror, the Tennis Court Oath and Louis XVI’s execution were revolutionary milestones, but none is the event commemorated by this date.