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The Champs-Élysées decorated with flags for the 14th of July.

Eiffel tower on Bastille Day

Bastille Day is the French national holiday, celebrated on 14 July each year. In France, it is called "Fête Nationale" ("National Holiday"), in official parlance, or more commonly "quatorze juillet" ("14th of July"). It commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789; the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern French nation, and of the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy which preceded the First Republic, during the French Revolution. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Bastille Day is an episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica televison series. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1273x954, 312 KB) Work by Rama File links The following pages link to this file: Bastille Day ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1273x954, 312 KB) Work by Rama File links The following pages link to this file: Bastille Day ... The Champs-Élysées (pronounced  ) is the most prestigious and broadest avenue in Paris. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (864x576, 211 KB) Eiffel tower fireworks on July 14th Bastille Day Photo by beivushtang http://www. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (864x576, 211 KB) Eiffel tower fireworks on July 14th Bastille Day Photo by beivushtang http://www. ... The Eiffel Tower (French: , ) is an iron tower built on the Champ de Mars beside the Seine River in Paris. ... is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Bastille Day is the French national holiday, celebrated on 14 July each year. ... Combatants French government Parisian militia (predecessor of Frances National Guard) Commanders Bernard-René de Launay â€  Prince de Lambesc Camille Desmoulins Strength 114 soldiers, 30 artillery pieces 600 - 1,000 insurgents Casualties 1 (6 or possibly 8 killed after surrender) 98 The Storming of the Bastille in Paris occurred on... is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1789 (MDCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... The French people proclaimed Frances First Republic on 21 September 1792 as a result of the French Revolution and of the abolition of the French monarchy. ... The French Revolution (1789–1815) was a period of political and social upheaval in the political history of France and Europe as a whole, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on...

Current festivities

Jacques Chirac reviewing troops on the 2003 Bastille Day parade.

Festivities are held on the morning of 14 July, the largest on the Champs-Élysées avenue in Paris in front of the President of the Republic. Download high resolution version (824x884, 109 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (824x884, 109 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... “Chirac” redirects here. ... Mounted Republican Guards escort the command vehicle of the President. ... is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Champs-Élysées (pronounced  ) is the most prestigious and broadest avenue in Paris. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... The President of France, known officially as the President of the Republic (Président de la République in French), is Frances elected Head of State. ...

The parade opens with cadets from the École Polytechnique, Saint-Cyr, École Navale, and so forth, then other infantry troops, then motorised troops; aviation of the Patrouille de France flies above. In recent times, it has become customary to invite units from France's allies to the parade; in 2004 during the centenary of the Entente Cordiale,British troops(the band of the Royal Marines, the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, Grenadier Guards and King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery) led the Bastille Day parade in Paris for the first time, with the Red Arrows flying overhead.^[1] A cadet is a future officer in the military. ... For other Écoles Polytechniques, see École Polytechnique de Montréal and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. ... Cadets parading in dress uniform A cadet in formal uniform The École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr (ESM, Special Military School of St Cyr) is the foremost French military academy. ... The École Navale is the French Navy Academy in charge of the education of the officers of the French Navy. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I Infantry or footmen are very highly disciplined and trained soldiers who fight primarily with small arms(rifles), but are trained to use everything from their bare hands to missle systems in order to neutralize... Aviation encompasses all the activities relating to airborne devices created by human ingenuity, generally known as aircraft. ... Categories: Stub | Aerobatic teams | French Air Force ... The Entente Cordiale (cordial understanding) is a series of agreements signed on 8 April 1904 between the United Kingdom and France. ... The armed forces of the United Kingdom, commonly known as the British Armed Forces or Her Majestys Armed Forces, and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown[1], encompasses a navy, army, and an air force. ... The Royal Marines (RM) are the marines and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service [2]. They are also the United Kingdoms amphibious force and specialists in mountain and Arctic warfare. ... The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment is a ceremonial cavalry regiment of the British Army. ... The Grenadier Guards is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. ... A Kings Troop sentry outside Horse Guards The Kings Troop, Royal Horse Artillery is a ceremonial unit of the British Army. ... Red Arrows Hawk at speed during a display The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force, based at RAF Scampton, United Kingdom. ...

Traditionally, the students of the École Polytechnique set up some form of joke.

The president used to give an interview to members of the press, discussing the situation of the country, recent events and projects for the future. Nicolas Sarkozy, elected president in 2007, has chosen not to give it. The President also holds a garden party at the Palais de l'Elysée. This article is about the political and administrative structures of the French government. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Nicolas Sarkozy at Paris, May 2005. ... This article is about the political and administrative structures of the French government. ... Garden Party, a song by Ricky Nelson, criticizes his fans for not appreciating his new style. ... The entrance to the Élysée Palace. ...

Bastille Day falls during the Tour de France and is traditionally the day on which French riders try to take a stage victory for France. For other uses, see Tour de France (disambiguation). ...

Article 17 of the Constitution of France gives the President the authority to pardon offenders, and since 1991 the President has pardoned many petty offenders (mainly traffic offences) on 14 July. In 2007, President Sarkozy declined to continue the practice^[2]. The current Constitution of France was adopted on October 4, 1958, and has been amended 17 times, most recently on March 28, 2003. ... For the Breton religious festivals, see Pardon (ceremony). ... is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

History

The storming of the Bastille

Main article: Storming of the Bastille

Prise de la Bastille, by Jean-Pierre-Louis-Laurent Houel

On 5 May 1789, Louis XVI convened the Estates-General to hear their grievances. The deputies of the Third Estate representing the common people (the two others were clergy and nobility) decided to break away and form a National Assembly. On 20 June the deputies of the Third Estate took the Tennis Court Oath, swearing not to separate until a constitution had been established. They were gradually joined by delegates of the other estates; Louis started to recognize their validity on 27 June. The assembly re-named itself the National Constituent Assembly on 9 July, and began to function as a legislature and to draft a constitution. Combatants French government Parisian militia (predecessor of Frances National Guard) Commanders Bernard-René de Launay â€  Prince de Lambesc Camille Desmoulins Strength 114 soldiers, 30 artillery pieces 600 - 1,000 insurgents Casualties 1 (6 or possibly 8 killed after surrender) 98 The Storming of the Bastille in Paris occurred on... Image File history File links Prise_de_la_Bastille. ... Image File history File links Prise_de_la_Bastille. ... is the 125th day of the year (126th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1789 (MDCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Louis XVI, born Louis-Auguste de France (23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) ruled as King of France and Navarre from 1774 until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792. ... The Estates-General (or States-General) of 1789 (French: Les États-Généraux de 1789) was the first meeting since 1614 of the French Estates-General, a general assembly consisting of representatives from all but the poorest segment of the French citizenry. ... In France of the ancien régime and the age of the French Revolution, the term Third Estate (tiers état) indicated the generality of people which were not part of the clergy (the First Estate) nor of the nobility (the Second Estate). ... Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. ... Nobility is a traditional hereditary status (see hereditary titles) that exists today in many countries (mainly present or former monarchies). ... During the French Revolution, the National Assembly (French: Assemblée nationale) was a transitional body between the Estates-General and the National Constituent Assembly that existed from June 17 to July 9 of 1789. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Sketch by Jacques-Louis David of the Tennis Court Oath. ... is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

In the wake of the 11 July dismissal of the royal finance minister Jacques Necker, the people of Paris, fearful that they and their representatives would be attacked by the royal military, and seeking to gain arms for the general populace, stormed the Bastille, a prison which had often held people arbitrarily jailed on the basis of lettre de cachet. Besides holding a large cache of arms, the Bastille had been known for holding political prisoners whose writings had displeased the royal government, and was thus a symbol of the absolutism of the monarchy. As it happened, at the time of the siege in July 1789 there were only seven inmates, none of great political significance. is the 192nd day of the year (193rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jacques Necker Jacques Necker (September 30, 1732 – April 9, 1804) was a French statesman of Swiss origin and finance minister of Louis XVI. // Necker was born in Geneva, Switzerland. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... This article is about the building. ... In French history, lettres de cachet were letters signed by the king of France, countersigned by one of his ministers, and closed with the royal seal, or cachet. ... Absolutism is a political theory which argues that one person, who is often generally a monarch, should hold all power. ...

When the crowd (legend says it was organised by descendants of Knights Templar)— eventually reinforced by mutinous gardes françaises — proved a fair match for the fort's defenders, the commander of the Bastille, Governor de Launay capitulated and opened the gates to avoid a mutual massacre. However, possibly because of a misunderstanding, fighting resumed. Ninety-eight attackers and just one defender died in the actual fighting, but in the aftermath, De Launay and seven other defenders were killed, as was the 'prévôt es marchands' (roughly, mayor) Jacques de Flesselles. For other uses, see Knights Templar (disambiguation). ... Jacques de Flesselles (1721–July 14, 1789) was a French provost, a post roughly equivalent to mayor. ...

The storming of the Bastille was more important as a rallying point and symbolic act of rebellion than a practical act of defiance.

Shortly after the storming of the Bastille, on 4 August feudalism was abolished and on 26 August, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen proclaimed. is the 216th day of the year (217th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Roland pledges his fealty to Charlemagne; from a manuscript of a chanson de geste Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period (17th century), in its most classic sense refers to a Medieval European political system comprised of a set of reciprocal legal and military obligations among the... is the 238th day of the year (239th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen: Revolutionary patriotism borrows familiar iconography of the Ten Commandments Wikisource has original text related to this article: Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (French: La...

The Fête de la Fédération

Main article: Fête de la Fédération

The Fête de la Fédération

The Fête de la Fédération of the 14 July 1790 was a huge feast and official event to celebrate the uprising of the short-lived constitutional monarchy in France and what people considered the happy conclusion of the French Revolution. Bastille Day is the French national holiday, celebrated on 14 July each year. ... Image File history File links File links The following pages link to this file: Bastille Day Fête de la Fédération ... Image File history File links File links The following pages link to this file: Bastille Day Fête de la Fédération ... is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1790 (MDCCXC) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A constitutional monarchy or limited monarchy is a form of government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges an elected or hereditary monarch as head of state, as opposed to an absolute monarchy, where the monarch is not... The French Revolution (1789–1815) was a period of political and social upheaval in the political history of France and Europe as a whole, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on...

The event took place on the Champ de Mars, at the time outside of Paris but now the site of the Eiffel Tower. The place had been transformed voluntarily by the population of Paris in what was recalled as the Journée des brouettes ("Wheelbarrow Day"). View of Champ de Mars from the top of the Eiffel Tower The Champ_de_Mars is a vast public area in Paris, France, located in the 7th arrondissement, between the Eiffel Tower to the northwest and the cole Militaire to the southeast. ... The Eiffel Tower (French: , ) is an iron tower built on the Champ de Mars beside the Seine River in Paris. ...

A mass was celebrated by Talleyrand, bishop of Autun. The popular General La Fayette, as captain of the National Guard of Paris and confidant of the king, took his oath to the constitution, followed by the King Louis XVI. Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, Prince de Benevente (February 2, 1754 – May 17, 1838), the Prince of Diplomats,[2] was a French diplomat. ... The bishopric of Autun comprises the entire Department of Saone et Loire in France. ... Lieutenant General & National Guard Commander-in-Chief Lafayette in 1792 at ~35yrs. ... Louis XVI, born Louis-Auguste de France (23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) ruled as King of France and Navarre from 1774 until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792. ...

After the end of the official celebration, the day ended in a huge four-day popular feast and people celebrated with fireworks, as well as fine wine and running naked through the streets in order to display their great freedom.

Origin of the present holiday

Claude Monet, Rue Montorgueil, Paris, Festival of 30 June 1878.

On 30 June 1878, a feast had been set in Paris by official decision to honour the Republic (the event was immortalised by a painting by Claude Monet). On the 14 July 1879, another feast took place, with a semi-official aspect; the events of the day included a military review in Longchamp, a reception in the Chambre of Deputies, organised and presided by Léon Gambetta, and a Republican Feast in the pré Catelan with Louis Blanc and Victor Hugo. All through France, as Le Figaro wrote on the 16th, "people feasted a lot to honour the Bastille". Image File history File links Download high resolution version (506x829, 63 KB) Claude Monet, Rue Montorgueil, Paris, Festival of June 30, 1878. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (506x829, 63 KB) Claude Monet, Rue Montorgueil, Paris, Festival of June 30, 1878. ... Not to be confused with Édouard Manet, another painter of the same era. ... is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1878 (MDCCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1878 (MDCCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Not to be confused with Édouard Manet, another painter of the same era. ... is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Painting of Léon Gambetta by Léon Bonnat Léon Gambetta (April 2, 1838 - December 31, 1882), French statesman, was born at Cahors. ... Louis Jean Joseph Charles Blanc (October 29, 1811 - December 6, 1882), was a French politician and historian. ... Victor-Marie Hugo (pronounced ) (February 26, 1802 — May 22, 1885) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights campaigner, and perhaps the most influential exponent of the Romantic movement in France. ... Le Figaro (English: ) is one of the leading French morning daily newspapers. ...

On the 21 May 1880, Benjamin Raspail proposed a law to have "the Republic choose the 14 July as a yearly national holiday". The Assembly voted the text on 21 May and 8 June. The Senate approved on 27 and 29 June, favouring 14 July against 4 August (honouring the end of the feudal system on 4 August 1789). The law was made official on 6 July 1880, and the Ministry of the Interior recommended to prefects that the day should be "celebrated with all the brilliance that the local resources allow". Indeed, the celebrations of the new holiday in 1880 were particularly magnificent. is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 159th day of the year (160th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 216th day of the year (217th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The French Revolution was a period in the history of France covering the years 1789 to 1799, in which republicans overthrew the Bourbon monarchy and the Roman Catholic Church perforce underwent radical restructuring. ... is the 216th day of the year (217th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1789 (MDCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

In the debate leading up to the adoption of the holiday, Henri Martin, chairman of the French Senate, addressed that chamber 29 June 1880. "Do not forget that behind this 14 July, where victory of the new era over the ancien régime was bought by fighting, do not forget that after the day of 14 July 1789, there was the day of 14 July 1790. … This [latter] day cannot be blamed for having shed a drop of blood, for having divided the country. It was the consecration of unity of France. … If some of you might have scruples against the first 14 July, they certainly hold none against the second. Whatever difference which might part us, something hovers over them, it is the great images of national unity, which we all desire, for which we would all stand, willing to die if necessary." Henri Martin was a celebrated French historian, born at Saint-Quentin; devoted his life to the study of the history of France; wrote an account of it, entitled Histoire de France, a magnificent work in 19 volumes; brought the history down to 1789, and received from the Institute 20,000... is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Ancien Régime, a French term meaning Former Regime, but rendered in English as Old Rule, Old Order, or simply Old Regime, refers primarily to the aristocratic social and political system established in France under the Valois and Bourbon dynasties. ...

References

Bastille Day celebrations

• New York City has a large Bastille Day celebration each year on 60th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan
• San Francisco has a large celebration in the downtown historic French quarter.
• Philadelphia's Bastille Day, held at Eastern State Penitentiary, involves Marie Antoinette throwing "cake", which are actually Twinkies, at the Parisian militia and storming the Bastille.^[1]
• Milwaukee's four-day Bastille Days street festival begins with a "Storming of the Bastille" with a 43-foot replica of the Eiffel Tower.
• Seattle's Bastille Day Celebration, held at the Seattle Center, involves performances, picnics, wine and shopping.

New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article is about the borough of New York City. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ... The Eastern State Penitentiary is a former state prison in the United States. ... Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France and Archduchess of Austria (born November 1755 – executed 16 October 1793) Daughter of Maria Theresa of Austria, wife of Louis XVI and mother of Louis XVII. She was guillotined at the height of the French Revolution. ... A Twinkie is a Golden Sponge Cake with Creamy Filling created by Hostess, and baked by Continental Baking Co, which is owned by Kansas City-based Interstate Bakeries Corporation. ... For other uses, see Parisian (disambiguation). ... Lebanese Kataeb militia The term Militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary [1] citizens to provide defense, emergency, law enforcement, or paramilitary service, and those engaged in such activity, without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. ... This article is about Milwaukee in Wisconsin. ... The Eiffel Tower (French: , ) is an iron tower built on the Champ de Mars beside the Seine River in Paris. ... City nickname Emerald City City bird Great Blue Heron City flower Dahlia City mottos The City of Flowers The City of Goodwill City song Seattle, the Peerless City Mayor Greg Nickels County King County Area   - Total   - Land   - Water   - % water 369. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Festál Breakdancing competition at Festival Sundiata Man dressed as Saint Patrick, Irish Week Festival. ... Seattle Center is a fairground, park and arts and entertainment center in Seattle, Washington. ...

One Time Celebrations

• 1989 :199 years after the fête, France celebrates 200th anniversary of French Revolution, notably with a monumental show on the Champs-Elysées in Paris, directed by French designer Jean-Paul Goude. President François Mitterrand hosts world leaders.
• 1998 : Two days after the French football team becomes world champions, huge celebrations took place nationwide
• 2002 : A far-right assassin's bullet misses French president Jacques Chirac during Bastille Day celebrations in Paris.

Avenue des Champs-Élysées from Place de la Concorde, seen from above the obelisk The Champs-Élysées (pronounced  audio? literally the Elysian fields) is a broad avenue in the French capital Paris. ... Jean-Paul Goude (born 1940) is a french graphic designer, illustrator, photographer and advertising film director. ...   IPA: (October 26, 1916 – January 8, 1996) served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, elected as representative of the Socialist Party (PS). ... “Chirac” redirects here. ...

Bastille Day in media

• "Bastille Day" is a song by the Canadian band Rush from the 1975 album Caress of Steel.
• The White Stripes played their first show on the 14 July 1997 and always reference Bastille Day when referring to their start date.
• "Bastille Day" is an episode title from the television series "Battlestar Galactica."

Rush is a Canadian rock band originally formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario; presently comprised of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. ... Caress of Steel was the third album by Rush, released in 1975. ... This article is about the American duo. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ...

See also

• Bastille Day Military Parade

Mounted Republican Guards escort the command vehicle of the President. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Bastille Day military parade

• senat.fr Tout savoir sur le 14 Juillet
• Bastille Day in New York 2006]

• Bastille Day in New York 2007]