Bastille and Napoleon: the Emperor who wanted to rewrite the history of the revolution For most of us, the Bastille is a symbol of the Great French Revolution, the people's wrath, and the fall of the Old Order. And Napoleon Bonaparte is a man who came to power on the wave of revolutionary ideas, but then built an empire and put himself above any republican principles. It seems that there is a chasm between these two figures. However, in fact, they are connected not only by the historical era but also by amazing, sometimes paradoxical projects. One of them is the grand monument that Napoleon wanted to build on the site of the destroyed Bastille, hoping to rewrite its history and write himself into it. But what actually tied the emperor to the main prison of France? The Revolution as a Starting Point The storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, marked the beginning of the Great French Revolution. For Parisians, this gloomy fortress was a living symbol of royal despotism and tyranny. On that day, there were only seven prisoners in the prison, but that did not matter. The Bastille fell, and with it, the belief in the inviolability of monarchical power collapsed. This day became the starting point for all subsequent events that eventually led to the rise of the young Corsican general Napoleon Bonaparte. His coup d'état on Brumaire 18 (November 9, 1799) is considered by historians as the actual end of the revolution. So Napoleon was not just the successor of the revolution — he was its direct heir, a man who came to power on the wave of chaos caused by the fall of the Bastille. The Emperor and his 'footprint' on the Bastille Square As emperor, Napoleon began a massive reconstruction of Paris. He wanted to turn the capital into a new imperial capital that would compete with ancient Rome. As part of these plans, he turned his attention to the Bastille Square — a place sacred to the French as a symbol of the revolution. The emperor decided to leave his own mark here. ... Read more