In the 14th century, the monstrosity of a fortress, known as the Bastille, was built. Around 1370, when King Charles V reigned, the Bastille was completed as a fortress, during the Thousand Years' War against England (examiner.com,history.com). It was originally designed as a “bastide” or “fortification” to defend Paris from an English attack (history.com). It was little known for its five-foot-thick walls connected to eight circular towers, along with one-hundred-foot walls and eighty-foot moats (Corizine 45, historia.com). The main access was guarded by a drawbridge, which led into the main courtyard (Corizine 45). As time passed, in the 17th century, it was no longer treated as a fortress, but as a state prison to store political prisoners (Corizine 45, examer.com,history.com). As time passed, the Bastille was operated independently and its original name “Bastide” now became “Bastille” (history.com). According to historians, the Bastille in French meant “a strongly fortified structure”. The Bastille was supposed to symbolize the pain and misery of the Bourbon kings (Frey 158). Parisians called the Bastille an “imposing structure” (history.com). The Bastille was initially meant to represent royal despotism (Frey 158). When the revolution broke out in 1789, it consisted of as many as seven prisoners, one of whom was there for murder (examiner.com, Frey 158). These prisoners later became symbols of “monarchical oppression” (examiners.com). The conditions of the prison surpassed those of other prisons of the time (Corizine 45). As the revolution progressed, the Bastille was put to the test to see if it was truly "a strong fortified structure." On the night of July 13th, rumors spread from city to city about... half of paper. ..... How would the king respond to revolutionary actions? (Corizina 46-47). The next day he ordered the Bastille to be demolished by February 6, 1790. To commemorate the Bastille, the last stone of the fortress-prison was donated to the National Assembly. The fall of the Bastille represents the end of the “ancient regime” (history.com). July 14, which is now Bastille Day, as it is called, is the national holiday celebrated in France (Fray 158). Although the defenders of the Bastille resisted fiercely, by the end of the day, the Bastille no longer existed. The results of the Battle of the Bastille made it one of the most significant days of the French Revolution. From the so-called flawless structure of the Bastille, to its once incorruptible defense system. These features have made the Bastille one of the most magnificent structures erected in history.