Bastille Day, or the 14th of July, commemorates a significant moment in the French Revolution; the Storming of the Bastille. Originally a medieval fortress, the Bastille was at the time used as a prison housing especially dissenters of the monarchy. On July 14, 1789 Revolutionaries broke into the Bastille, dismantling the structure and releasing the prisoners. Besides being a prison, the Bastille was a military fortress storing arms and munitions valuable to the Revolutionaries and a symbol of the lavishly tyrannical reign of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
The Storming of the Bastille, Jean-Pierre Houël
One year later, thousands of Parisians gathered on the Champs de Mars to celebrate France's unity and the National Assembly's Fête de la Fédération, declaring the day a marker of peace and liberty for France. The Marquis de La Fayette who was Captain of the General Guard and King Louis XIV each swore oaths to uphold the Laws of the Nation according to the Constitution drafted by the National Assembly and approved by the King, signifying the end of tyrannical monarchical rule known as the ancien régime. Although Louis XVI was still king, he and Marie Antoinette were de facto prisoners until their trials and death by guillotine in 1793 for treason.
Louix XVI and Marie Antionette
Today, Bastille Day is widely celebrated and includes a huge military parade along the Champs-Elysées, fireworks, music, dance, and of course feasting!
Bastille Day (Le 14 Juillet) at Wilmington Wine's Creative Tastings
July 14/15, 2023
First Course
Gougères
Second Course
French Onion Soup
Third Course
Salad Niçoise
Fourth Course
Coq au Vin
Dessert
Tarte aux Pommes