A Brief History of the Bastille

The bastille was a mediaeval fortress at the east end of paris. Most famously and most reliably used as a prison holding enemies of the state. One of the easiest ways to wind up in the bastille was to simply be a juvenile delinquent in a prominent noble family. Once you had ticked off mummy and daddy one too many times, they could go to the king and purchase a lettre de cachet to have their little black sheep thrown in prison for at least a little while.