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.One book of interest is: The Fantstic and European Gothic: History, Literatuce and the French Revolution by Matthew Gibson.
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