High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Bastille (French pronunciation: ) was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. The Bastille was built in response to the English threat to the city of Paris during the Hundred Years War. It was stormed on 14 July 1789 during the French Revolution, becoming an important symbol for the French Republican movement, and was later completely demolished and built over by the Place de la Bastille, with the few remaining relics being placed on the nearby Boulevard Henri IV.