Bastille Day 14th July 2016


The 14th of July is Bastille Day. On this day in 1789 the Bastille, a political prison in France, was stormed by the Parisian revolutionaries. Ironically there were only 4 prisoners held in the prison at that time. This revolt was to be the start of the French Revolution which included the removal of  King Louis XVI from power, who was later put to the guilitine in 1793 after being accused of high treason and crimes against the state. In 1880 Bastille Day was declared a public holiday in France and is still one today.
The JCU Library has lots of great resources about the French Revolution and France in general.
One book of interest is: The Fantstic and European Gothic: History, Literatuce and the French Revolution by Matthew Gibson.

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