What was the Bastille fortress also known as in medieval Paris?

The Bastille fortress was also known in medieval Paris as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. The name linked the stronghold to the nearby Porte Saint-Antoine, an important eastern gateway in the city’s defenses.

Construction began under King Charles V during the Hundred Years’ War, when Paris was vulnerable to English attack. Work on the large fortress began around 1370 and continued into the reign of Charles VI. Its eight towers and thick walls protected the eastern approach to the capital, while its position also helped secure routes between royal residences and the city.

The Bastille gradually became more famous as a state prison than as a military fortress. It held political prisoners and people detained by royal orders, although its reputation as a symbol of arbitrary monarchy often exceeded the number of inmates present at any one time. On 14 July 1789, revolutionaries captured it while seeking gunpowder. The fortress was demolished soon afterward, and the site became today’s Place de la Bastille.