Bernard-René Jourdan de Launay
Bernard René Jourdan, marquis de Launay was the French governor of the Bastille. He was the son of a previous governor, and commander of the Bastille's garrison when the prison-fortress in Paris was stormed on 14 July 1789.
Bernard-René Jourdan de Launay
Oil painting by Jean-Baptiste Lallemand depicting the arrest of de Launay during the storming of the Bastille, (Musée de la Révolution française).
1789 engraving of the beheaded Mayor of Paris Flesselles and de Launay. The caption reads "This is how we get revenge on traitors".
The Bastille was a fortress in Paris, known 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. It was stormed by a crowd on 14 July 1789, in the French Revolution, becoming an important symbol for the French Republican movement. It was later demolished and replaced by the Place de la Bastille.
East view of the Bastille, drawing c. 1790
Historical reconstruction showing the moat below the walls of Paris (left), the Bastille and the Porte Saint-Antoine (right) in 1420
A 1750 plan of the Bastille's eight medieval towers showing the calottes in the roofs and the infamous cachots within the foundations
A depiction of the Bastille and neighbouring Paris in 1575, showing the new bastions, the new Porte Saint-Antoine, the Arsenal complex and the open countryside beyond the city defences
