The storming of the Bastille fortress-prison which marked the beginning of the French Revolution, took place on 14 July 1789. Bastille Day is the iconic French national holiday. Using contemporary accounts, often by eyewitnesses, this title describes the Bastille prison, its storming by the armed populace, and the aftermath.

The storming of the decrepit Bastille fortress-prison, which symbolically and in real terms, marked the beginning of the French Revolution, took place on 14 July 1789. Bastille Day is the iconic French national holiday, yet it wasn't celebrated until nearly a century later.Using contemporary accounts, often by eyewitnesses, Prendergast describes the Bastille prison, its reputation as France's most feared place of incarceration; its storming by the armed populace, and the momentous aftermath...And then richly and fascinatingly he shows how the celebration of this extraordinary day, truly one of those which have shaped the world, became part of the fabric of national life.