The Meeting of the Estates-General / The Tennis Court Oath

How many deputies in the Estates-General?

1200

How many 3rd Estate deputies were elected?

604 (double the third)

How many 2nd Estate deputies were elected?

278 (mainly conservative, hereditary nobles)

How many 1st Estate deputies were elected?

330 (mainly poorer local priests who were 3rd Estate sympathisers)

How much of the 1st estate deputies were lower clergy?

75%

How many deputies in the 3rd Estate were peasants?

2 (from Brittany)

How many of the 3rd Estate deputies were lawyers?

400 lawyers

What were the issues with the proceedings of the Estates-General?

The deputies were sat separately based on estate, the 3rd Estate entered through a side-door, the 1st and 2nd Estates wanted to verify deputies by order (separately), Louis XVI and Necker had no reform package or constitutional reform prepared, the voting method for the E-G was undecided

On what day did the Estates-General meet?

5th May 1789

How long was the Estates-General in deadlock (impasse) for?

7 weeks-- due to disagreement over verification

On what day did the 3rd Estate announce itself the National Assembly?

17th June 1789-- due to Mirabeau and Sieyes and discontent with the E-G's proceedings

What was the vote result to call themselves the National Assembly?

490 - 90

On what day was the Tennis Court oath?

20th June 1789

What were the contents of the Tennis Court Oath?

The National Assembly will not dissolve until a new constitution is formed

What were the reforms proposed on June 23rd at the Seance Royale?

All future taxed must be accepted by a representative body, abolition of lettres de cachet, abolition of gabelle and corvee, freedom of press, abolishing internal trade barriers

When did the rest of the clergy and some liberal nobles join the NA?

On the 24th June, 159 more clergy join the NA, followed by 47 nobles on the 25th (including the Duc d' Orleans)

How did the NA appear favoured by the public?

Public demonstrations in support of the NA following the Seance Royale

On what day did Louis XVI order all 1st and 2nd Estate deputies to join the National Assembly?

27th June

What did LXVI do on the 27th June 1789?

He

Why did the Tennis Court Oath happen?

Presence of royal troops suggested that LXVI was going to use force to dissolve the assembly, locked room, Sieyes and Mirabeau

Was the Tennis Court Oath revolutionary?

No, it wanted to "maintain the true principles of monarchy" and so was still supporting the monarchy-- constitutional monarchy

Who wrote the Tennis Court Oath?

Abbe Sieyes

Why did the NCA split from the rest of the E-G?

The usage of voting by head, the separation of the three estates, speeches from Sieyes and Mirabeau

Did everyone agree to swearing the Tennis Court Oath?

Yes (but also no, there was 1 person who refused). It was signed by 576 3rd Estate deputies.

The overall significance of the Tennis Court Oath-

The NCA were bound to their promise to create a new constitution for France, the NCA claimed sovereignty in France (popular sovereignty because they were elected), emboldened the masses who were watching the events unfolding, big damage to Louis XVI's power

Which 3rd Est deputy encouraged the 3rd Estate to break away at the E-G?

Abbe Sieyes

By the 4th of July how many troops were in Paris?

30,000 troops in and around Paris-- LXVI fear of despotism

____ out of the ___ 1st Estate deputies elected were high ranking Bishops

51 out of 291 deputies-- the clergy overwhelmingly voted parish priests instead of bishops to the E-G-- they're more liberal leaning

How many liberal nobles were elected to the E-G?

90

What stance did the Paris Parlement take on the E-G in the run up to its meeting?

They debated the issue from Sept 1788 and said that the 1614 composition should be used, with equal representation for all estates and voting by head-- angers the 3rd Estate and they publish pamphlets condemning this decision

'What is the 3rd Estate'

Sieyes Jan 1789 pamphlet-- reaction to Paris Parlement decision about 1614 E-G composition and contributes to politicisation of the 3rd est.

How did LXVI further anger the NA in the 23rd June 1789 Seance Royale?

He rejected Necker's advise, stating that any decisions taken unilaterally by the 3rd Estate deputies were null and void and that the estates should meet separately based on order-- due to pressure from the court and Marie Antoinette to be assertive