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Prise de la Bastille, illustrating event-french-revolution-1789

Prise de la Bastille by Jean-Pierre-Louis-Laurent Houel. Watercolour, 37.8 x 50.5 cm. Visible in the center is the arrest of Bernard René Jourdan, marquis de Launay (1740-1789). Note: This is a different painting than wikidata:Q99848320 , despite being by the same artist on the same subject. Jean-Pierre Houël. Public domain.

Historical event

French Revolution Begins

1789

France

Financial crisis, political deadlock and popular action destroyed the old regime's authority and opened a decade of revolution.

Overview

Financial crisis, political deadlock and popular action destroyed the old regime's authority and opened a decade of revolution. Its causes, participants and consequences connect this record to the wider French Revolution guide, where the event is placed in chronology rather than treated as an isolated date.

Explore French Revolution

People connected to this event

Marie Antoinette1755–1793Napoleon Bonaparte1769–1821

Sources and further reading