On July 14, 1789, a Parisian mob stormed the Bastille, a medieval fortress and political prison that symbolized the absolute power of the French monarchy. While only seven prisoners were being held at the time, the crowd was primarily after the large stores of gunpowder and weapons housed there. This violent act marked the flashpoint of the French Revolution. It signaled that the common people were no longer willing to accept the divine right of kings and demanded a government based on Enlightenment principles like those found in the 'Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.' The event led to the eventual overthrow of King Louis XVI, the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, and the spread of democratic ideals across Europe, though it also descended into the chaos of the Reign of Terror.