The

The Hello and welcome to a history of Europe Key Battles podcast.

This is the French Revolutionary Wars of 1787 to 1802, part one. The The

The In the early hours of Tuesday, the 14th of July 1789, the city of Paris was in a state of alarm.

The last days had already seen clashes between the army of the ruling monarch,

Louis XVIth and a citizen's militia. Their cause was a righteous one, the rebels declared,

an end to oppression by the ruling class and greater recognition of their rights.

As violence and disorder mounted on the streets,

Louis was losing control of his capital,

as several of his units refused to follow orders and even went over to the demonstrators.

Here and there, there, there were some clashes

between the crowd and soldiers that remained loyal,

but the King's commanders pulled their men back for fear of risking further mutinies. On the 14th of July, a large crowd first armed the great military complex of Leson Valid,

meeting the resistance they seized a substantial number of muskets. Gunpowder, however, was lacking,

and it was soon discovered that the city's stock had been transferred to the medieval castle,

known as the Bastille, which also served as a royal prison. A hastily organised force,

around a thousand men, closed in on the fortress.

Two representatives of the crowd outside were invited into the fortress and negotiations began.

But as the negotiations dragged on, the crowd grew impatient and served into the undefended outer courtyard. Soldiers of the garrison

called to the people to withdraw, but in the noise and confusion these shouts were misinterpreted

as encouragement to enter. Gunfire began, unknown from where, and the crowd became violent.

There followed sporadic negotiations, interspersed with outbursts of fighting.

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