Storming of the Bastille

The storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789 was an important development in, and later a symbol of, the French Revolution. Though at the time the Bastille contained only seven prisoners, its taking marked the beginning of open rebellion against the king. The first anniversary of the event was celebrated by holding the Fête de la Fédération. The Fête de la Fédération is itself commemerated each year in France in an event known in English as Bastille Day, France's national holiday.

Necker's dismissal

On July 11, 1789, with troops at Versailles, Sèvres, the Champ de Mars, and Saint-Denis, the king, acting under the influence of the conservative nobles of his privy council, banished his finance minister, Jacques Necker, who had been sympathetic to the Third Estate, and completely reconstructed the ministry. The marshal Victor-François, duc de Broglie, la Galissonnière, the duc de la Vauguyon, the Baron Louis de Breteuil, and the intendant Foulon, took over the posts of Puységur, Armand Marc, comte de Montmorin, La Luzerne, Saint-Priest, and Necker.

Related Topics:
July 11 - 1789 - Versailles - Sèvres - Champ de Mars - Saint-Denis - Privy council - Jacques Necker - Victor-François, duc de Broglie - La Galissonnière - Duc de la Vauguyon - Louis de Breteuil - Foulon - Puységur - Armand Marc, comte de Montmorin - La Luzerne - Saint-Priest

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News of Necker's dismissal reached Paris in the afternoon of Sunday, July 12. The Parisians generally presumed that the dismissal marked the start of a coup by conservative elements. Crowds gathered throughout the city, including more than ten thousand at the Palais Royal. Camille Desmoulins, a known freemason from the lodge of the Nine Sisters, according to Mignet, successfully rallied the crowd by "mount a table, pistol in hand, exclaiming: 'Citizens, there is no time to lose; the dismissal of Necker is the knell of a Saint Bartholomew for patriots! This very night all the Swiss and German battalions will leave the Champ de Mars to massacre us all; one resource is left; to take arms!'" http://www.outfo.org/literature/pg/etext06/8hfrr10.txt (These foreign, mercenary troops were seen as especially loyal to the king, because they did not have the same ties to the general populace as ordinary French soldiers.)

Related Topics:
July 12 - Palais Royal - Camille Desmoulins - Saint Bartholomew

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