1789 May
Estates General
The Estates General opened the revolutionary year that produced the National Assembly, Tennis Court Oath, Bastille uprising and Declaration of Rights.
French Revolution · permanent subject timeline
Storming of the Bastille
14 July 1789 and the entry of popular Paris into the Revolution. This page combines historical context with 11 matching records drawn directly from the World History Database French Revolution archive.
Historical context
Storming of the Bastille: overview and significance
What happened?
On 14 July 1789 a Parisian crowd seized the Bastille fortress after searching for arms and gunpowder amid fears of royal military action. Although the prison held few inmates, its fall became the Revolution's most enduring symbol of resistance to arbitrary royal authority.
Why was it important?
The Bastille demonstrated that the constitutional conflict at Versailles could not be separated from popular action in Paris. Its fall forced the monarchy to reckon with revolutionary power in the streets and helped accelerate political change across France.
World History Database records
Storming of the Bastille timeline
The records below are selected from the 814-record French Revolution archive using this page's subject criteria and are ordered chronologically.
1789
1789 20th June
Third Estate
This record states: The first year of the Revolution sees members of the 3rd Estate proclaiming the Tennis Court Oath in June, the assault on the Bastille in July, the passage of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and.
1789 14th July
Defection
5 out of the 6 battalions had deserted and were prominent in the attack on the Bastille.
1789 14th July
Dissolution of Army
The Army dissolves itself.
1789 14th July
National Guard
The National Guard, a citizens militia, is formed which wears the tricolour cockade.
1789 14th July
Paris Municipal Council
Brissot entered the first Paris municipal council during the political transformation following the Bastille's fall.
1789 14th July
Storming of the Bastille
Barras participated in the revolutionary events surrounding the storming of the Bastille in Paris.
1789 16th July
Bastille Demolition Order
As commander of the Paris National Guard, Lafayette ordered the demolition of the captured Bastille.
1789 17th July
Reception of Louis XVI
As mayor of Paris, Bailly formally received Louis XVI at the Hotel de Ville after the fall of the Bastille.
1789
Estates General
The revolutionary year produced the National Assembly, Tennis Court Oath, Bastille uprising, Declaration of Rights and October march on Versailles.
1790
1790 14th July
Anniversary
Leads celebrations and oath taking in memory of the 1st yr of the fall of the Bastille.
Editorial provenance
Sources and editorial review
Compiled and edited by World History Database
Historical context is editorial material; the chronology is generated from the World History Database French Revolution records.
Last reviewed: September 2026.
Reference points: Assemblée nationale — Révolution française · Archives nationales — 1789
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