Was petty theivery punishable by imprisonment in the Bastille? (Stealing a sandwhich from a cart vendor)?

Question

The time frame I need to know for is about four years before the French Revolution really got started.Its for a story I am writing.

Answer 1

No.

By which I don't mean that it COULDN'T be punished in this way, but that it wouldn't be likely at all to happen. You have to look at the way the Bastille worked:

First of all, the guards there were all more or less honored by the powers that be. They were soldiers who were essentially disabled veterans. In recognition of their service to their country, they got these relatively easy jobs. Thus it runs counter to this purpose to house the truly dangerous criminals there.

The governor of the prison was likewise paid on the basis of the status of the inmates: scientists and acedemics were worth 19 livres a day, while commoners were only worth 3. You can see how this would encourage the housing of nobles and un-militant types, as opposed to common street-thieves.

Lastly, the Bastille, reputation notwithstanding, was far from the worst prison in France. There were other prisons, asylums, and the like where time was much harder... some even also in Paris. The distinction of the Bastille is that it was the main place where people imprisoned by a lettres de cachet (an order of the king, largely un-appealable and without due process) were kept.

And much of this is borne out by history. When the Bastille was seized in the Revolution, there were only seven (7) inmates there: four counterfeiters, two madmen, and an aristocrat. The infamous subterranean cells hadn't been in use for years at that time.

So unless your bread-theif was put in jail directly from an order of the king, or had relatives who were nobility themselves, the chances of him landing in the Bastille were small to none.

Answer 2

Yes.