French Revolution The Conquerors of the Bastille
On July 14 1789, thousands of people marched upon the fortress of the Bastille, which, after a generation of campaign for legal reform, had come to symbolize all that was hateful with an absolutist regime that allowed the king to imprison his subjects without trial and dismiss his ministers at will. The fall of the Bastille was precipitated by news on July 12 1789 of the kings dismissal of Necker. ... The quest for arms continued and, after a successful raid on the Hotel des Invalides on the morning of July 14, the crowds turned upon the Bastille.