Bastille
Revolutionary mob's target
The Bastille was a medieval fortress in Paris that served as a state prison, its storming on July 14, 1789 marking the symbolic beginning of the French Revolution.
Bastille Day is France's national holiday commemorating this event.
The name has become synonymous with oppressive imprisonment and popular uprising against tyranny. (Lowercase bastille means any fortress or prison.)
Vertical beheading apparatus
- JacobinsFrench revolutionary faction
- National AssemblyA nation's legislative body
- monarchyRule by crowned sovereign
- ancien régimeReplaced system of governance
Louis XVI · Marie Antoinette · sans-culottes · Robespierre · republic · tricolor · Estates-General · radicals
Violent governmental overthrow
- mobDisorderly, aggressive crowd
- uprisingOrganized resistance to power
- insurrectionViolent uprising against authority
- crowdLarge public gathering
assault · siege · musket · cannonade · barricade · gunpowder · drawbridge · keys
Fortified urban stronghold
- strongholdFortified place of defense
- dungeonSubterranean prison chamber
- towerTall slender edifice
- rampartFortified defensive wall
keep · cell · garrison · barracks · turret · watchtower · fortification · armory
Official day of observance
- paradeCeremonial public procession
- Champs-ÉlyséesIconic Parisian boulevard
- fireworksExplosive light displays
- celebrationFestive event marking occasion
French Republic · tricolor · military parade · commemoration · anniversary · public holiday · dancing · festivities
Oppressive, absolute governance
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- oppressionUnjust exercise of power
- libertyAbsence of unjust constraint
- revolutionViolent governmental overthrow
democracy · resistance · emancipation · despotism · autocracy · injustice · struggle · defiance
Structure honoring someone remembered
- plazaPublic open square
- neighborhoodResidential area nearby
- arrondissementFrench administrative subdivision
- metro stationUnderground transit platform
guillotine
Vertical beheading apparatus
- JacobinsFrench revolutionary faction
- National AssemblyA nation's legislative body
- monarchyRule by crowned sovereign
Louis XVI · Marie Antoinette · ancien régime · sans-culottes · Robespierre · republic · tricolor · Estates-General · radicals · aristocracy
revolution
Violent governmental overthrow
- mobDisorderly, aggressive crowd
- uprisingOrganized resistance to power
- insurrectionViolent uprising against authority
crowd · assault · siege · musket · cannonade · barricade · gunpowder · drawbridge · keys · surrender
citadel
Fortified urban stronghold
- strongholdFortified place of defense
- dungeonSubterranean prison chamber
- towerTall slender edifice
rampart · keep · cell · garrison · barracks · turret · watchtower · fortification · armory · parapet
national holiday
Official day of observance
- paradeCeremonial public procession
- Champs-ÉlyséesIconic Parisian boulevard
- fireworksExplosive light displays
celebration · French Republic · tricolor · military parade · commemoration · anniversary · public holiday · dancing · festivities · banquet
tyranny
Oppressive, absolute governance
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- oppressionUnjust exercise of power
- libertyAbsence of unjust constraint
revolution · democracy · resistance · emancipation · despotism · autocracy · injustice · struggle · defiance · popular sovereignty
monument
Structure honoring someone remembered
- plazaPublic open square
- neighborhoodResidential area nearby
- arrondissementFrench administrative subdivision
- Paris AreasMontmartre, Belleville, Latin Quarter, Montparnasse, Saint-Germain
- Ancien Regimeintendant, Versailles, corvee, capitation, royal council
- French InstitutionsBNF, Louvre, RAID, CRS, French Foreign Legion
- European HistoryFrench Revolution, Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Holy Roman Empire, Industrial Revolution
- FranceParis, Notre-Dame, Lyon, croissant, Toulouse
- prisonsprison, inmates, cells, prisons, prisoner
Bastillefreedom
Absence of constraint
liberty · liberation · emancipation · sanctuary · refuge
Bastilledemocracy
Rule by the people
republic · National Assembly · liberty cap · the Republic · parliament
Bastillerevolution
Violent governmental overthrow
storming · July 14th · Bastille Day · revolutionary tribunal
- Bastille DayFrench national holiday
- Storming of BastilleRevolutionary seizure of fortress