The Tennis Court Oath and the Promise of Revolution

The Tennis Court Oath and the Promise of Revolution explores the origins and impact of this important moment in the French Revolution.

The Tennis Court Oath and the Promise of Revolution

On June 20, 1789, the representatives of the Third Estate of the Estates-General of France gathered in the tennis court of the royal palace at Versailles. In the face of the king’s intransigence, they swore an oath not to disperse until they had achieved constitutional reform. The Tennis Court Oath was a key moment in the course of the French Revolution and has come to symbolize the promise of revolution.

The Tennis Court Oath

During the early days of the French Revolution, the newly formed National Assembly met at a tennis court in Versailles and took an oath not to dissolve until they had written a new constitution. This act, known as the Tennis Court Oath, was a key moment in the Revolution and helped to solidify the resolve of the Assembly against the King.

The Tennis Court Oath was taken on June 20, 1789 by all of the members of the National Assembly. This group consisted of representatives from the Third Estate, which included all of those who were not part of the nobility or clergy. The Third Estate had been largely left out of power under the old feudal system and they were looking to change that.

The National Assembly had been meeting for several weeks in an effort to find a way forward for France. The country was in a state of financial ruin and there was much unrest among the people. The King, Louis XVI, was unwilling to make any concessions and so the National Assembly was forced to take matters into their own hands.

When they met at the tennis court, they took an oath not to dissolve until they had written a new constitution. This constitution would grant more power to the people and less to the monarchy. It would also establish France as a constitutional monarchy instead of an absolute monarchy.

The Tennis Court Oath was a key moment in the French Revolution as it showed that the National Assembly was willing to stand up to the King and fight for change. It also showed that there was widespread support for reform among those who were previously powerless under the old system. This oath would help to pave the way for a more democratic France.

The Promise of Revolution

On June 20, 1789, a few days after the Third Estate had been declared the National Assembly and taken the Tennis Court Oath, one of its members rose to speak. “The arming of the people,” Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès began,

is the most sacred of rights and the most indispensable of duties. . . . All men are bound to defend with their lives and fortunes the legitimacy of their institutions. When this legitimate defense is no longer possible, they have the right—they owe it to themselves as men and citizens—to give up a government that has become repressive and to substitute for it another which will protect their rights.

This right to rebel against oppression, Sieyès continued, was natural and inalienable; it was “a part of the constitution of man.” It did not arise from any compact or contract but rather from “the very nature of things.” Furthermore, it was not a right that could be abrogated or abridged by any government: “No government can lay down in advance definite rules limiting this right, for such rules would necessarily be violent ones; instead, each case must be decided on its own merits.” Finally, Sieyès concluded, this right did not belong just to individuals; it belonged equally to communities and nations:

When an entire people—when several large census districts wanted at one and the same time to change governments in order better to ensure their happiness—when this desire seems general—when all citizens without exception share it—it would be wrong not to regard this as something more than a mere outbreak of private zeal; in such casesWould it not be clear that some great cause must be at work? Some new law of nature suddenly revealed? Some patriarchal pact abruptly replaced by a new social contract?

In other words, when a people stands up collectively to demand change, when they are united by a common desire for liberty and justice, then they are making a claim not just on behalf of themselves but on behalf of humanity as a whole. It is this vision of revolution—as the expression of a universal yearning for freedom—that gives Sieyès’s statement its power and resonance.

The Tennis Court Oath and the Promise of Revolution

On June 20, 1789, in the midst of the French Revolution, a group of deputies from the Third Estate took an oath on a tennis court in the small town of Versailles. This was no ordinary tennis game – it was a act of defiance against the monarchy, and it would change the course of history. The Tennis Court Oath would become a symbol of the Revolution, and the promise of Revolution would be fulfilled in the months and years to come.

The Tennis Court Oath

On June 20, 1789, the Third Estate of the Estates-General—the commoners of France—took an oath in a tennis court in Versailles, vowing not to disperse until they had established a new constitution for the country. This act, called the Tennis Court Oath (Serment du jeu de paume), is considered one of the significant events that led to the French Revolution.

The Tennis Court Oath was taken by 577 deputies of the Third Estate who had gathered in an indoor tennis court because they had been locked out of a meeting of the Estates-General by representatives of the other two orders—the clergy and the nobility. The deputies were there to discuss how France should be governed, but they could not come to an agreement with the other orders about how voting should be done.

The Third Estate wanted each person to have one vote, regardless of his social standing or property ownership, but the other orders wanted voting to be done by “estates”—groups that would have different numbers of votes based on their importance to society. The Third Estate felt that this system was unfair because it gave more power to the wealthier classes.

In response to being locked out of their meeting place, the deputies decided to take an oath not to leave until they had established a new constitution for France. The Tennis Court Oath was a way for them to show their commitment to this goal.

While taking the oath, some of the deputies placed their hand on a bible or on a copy of the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen, a document that outlined basic human rights in France. Others held up their right hand or placed it over their heart. After taking the oath, they signed a piece of paper with their names and title.

The deputies who took this oath became known as “the Deputies of ‘89” or “the Patriots.” They went on to play an important role in writing and ratifying France’s first constitution, which established a limited monarchy. The Tennis Court Oath was an important step on the road to democracy in France.

The Promise of Revolution

On June 17, 1789, delegates to the newly convened Estates-General in Versailles took an oath on a tennis court to not disperse until they had drafted a new French constitution. This famous event, known as the Tennis Court Oath, set in motion the French Revolution, which would have profound effects on the course of history.

The Tennis Court Oath was a key moment in the Revolution because it signaled the intention of the delegates to see through their task of creating a new constitution. It was also a pledge to resist any attempts by the king to stop their work. The delegates’ resolve was put to the test almost immediately after taking the oath when King Louis XVI tried to dissolve the Estates-General. But thanks to the Tennis Court Oath, the delegates persisted and went on to write a constitution that established a limited monarchy in France.

While the French Revolution did not always live up to its promise of equality and liberty for all, it did succeed in making some important changes. It brought an end to feudalism in France and established rights for commoners that had hitherto been enjoyed only by nobility and clergy. The Revolution also set in motion Ideas that would eventually lead to democracy and self-government in France and other parts of Europe. For these reasons, the Tennis Court Oath and the Promise of Revolution continue to resonate more than 200 years after they were first uttered.

The Tennis Court Oath and the Promise of Revolution

On June 20, 1789, sitting in an indoor tennis court at the Hôtel du Jeu de Paume in the Second Arrondissement of Paris, the deputies of the Third Estate took an oath not to separate until they had given France a constitution. The Tennis Court Oath (Serment du Jeu de Paume) was a pivotal event during the French Revolution; it helped to crystallize the resolve of the deputies and turn the Revolutionary Assembly into a National Assembly.

The Tennis Court Oath

On June 20, 1789, the Third Estate, which represented commoners and the lower clergy in France, met at a tennis court in the city of Versailles. There, they took an oath not to disperse until they had drafted a French constitution. The Tennis Court Oath (Serment du Jeu de Paume) was a key event during the early days of the French Revolution and helped to transform the revolution into a mass movement.

The oath was taken by 749 deputies (members of the Estates-General). Of these, 567 were from the Third Estate, which had been elected by commoners and peasants; 166 were from the First Estate, which represented the higher clergy; and 16 were from the Second Estate, which represented the nobility. When it became clear that King Louis XVI was not going to support their call for constitutional reform, the deputies took matters into their own hands.

The Tennis Court Oath was significant because it showed that the Third Estate was prepared to defy the king and take action on its own. This act of defiance helped to solidify support for the revolution among ordinary people and gave the deputies a mandate to proceed with their plans for reform.

The Promise of Revolution

On June 20, 1789, the Third Estate of the Estates-General reconvened in the Manège outside the gates of the Tuileries Palace in Paris and took an oath not to disperse until they had drafting a new constitution for France. This act, known as the Tennis Court Oath (Serment du Jeu de Paume), was a pivotal moment in the French Revolution and helped to transform the regime from one based on feudal privilege to one based on popular sovereignty.

The Tennis Court Oath marked a turning point in the Revolution because it signaled the end of deference to monarchy and aristocracy. For centuries, French society had been divided into three estates: the First Estate (the clergy), the Second Estate (the nobility), and the Third Estate (the commoners). The Third Estate, which made up around 97% of the population but only held 1% of France’s total wealth, had long been oppressed by the other two estates.

The Tennis Court Oath was a way for members of the Third Estate to publicly pledge their allegiance to each other and their determination to create a new social order. By taking this oath, they were effectively renouncing their allegiance to King Louis XVI and declaring themselves a new national assembly. Although it would take several more years for France to become a republic, the Tennis Court Oath marked an important step towards that goal.