Bastille

The Bastille was a fortress in Paris, France, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It was built during the 1370s and the 1380s. It played an important role in internal French conflicts and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. On July 14, 1789, during the French Revolution, it was stormed by a crowd, an event which became an important symbol for the French Republican movement. It was later demolished and replaced by the Place de la Bastille.

Bastille in ''The Two Georges
On July 14, 1789, a Parisian crowd attempted to storm the Bastille. Lieutenant Colonel Napoleon Bonaparte prevented this by ordering troops under his command to open fire, declaring "Ils ne passeront pas" ("they shall not pass"). Respectable society viewed Bonaparte as a great man who preserved peace and order, although radical elements viewed it as a tragedy. One such radical was a young composer named Ludwig van Beethoven, who dedicated a symphony to "The Massacred Innocents."