Marquis de launay biography for kids pdf

He was the son of a previous governor, and commander of the Bastille's garrison when it was stormed on 14 July At the age of eight, he was appointed to an honorary position in the King's Musketeers mousquetaires du roi. He subsequently joined the French Guards Regiment, which was permanently stationed in Paris except in time of war. In de Launay succeeded M.

The thirteen years that he spent in this position were mostly uneventful, but on 19 December , he reportedly made the mistake of failing to fire the cannon of the Bastille as a salute on the birth of a daughter Madame Royale to King Louis XVI. In August , he was given responsibility for the imprisonment of two prime figures in the royal necklace scandal: Cardinal Louis de Rohan and Jeanne de La Motte-Valois.

De Launay behaved correctly and considerately with both although the latter was an extremely difficult inmate. He also owned and rented out a number of houses in the rue Saint-Antoine , neighbouring the Bastille.

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The permanent garrison of the Bastille, under de Launay, consisted of about 82 invalides veteran military pensioners no longer considered suitable for regular army service. Part of the impatient crowd started to enter the outer courtyard of the fortress after a small group had broken the chains securing the drawbridge. After shouting warnings, the garrison opened fire.

The besiegers interpreted that as treachery on the part of de Launay.