Why Was The Tennis Court Oath Taken?

The Tennis Court Oath was taken by the deputies of the Third Estate on June 20, 1789 in the early days of the French Revolution. It was a pledge to not leave the meeting hall until a new French constitution had been written. The deputies were protesting the King’s decision to stop the Estates-General, the French parliament, from meeting. The Tennis Court Oath was seen as a way to unify the Third Estate and force the King to listen to their demands.

Introduction

On June 20, 1789, representatives of the third estate of the Estates-General gathered in a modified indoor tennis court at the ancient Palace of Versailles. This overcame their resistance to meet as a separate body and Industrial started representing common interests of all three orders in the Estates-General. The deputies asserted their right to meet as a National Assembly despite royal prohibitions, swore not to disperse until France had a constitution, and published their Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen on August 27th. They then invited the other two orders to join them and began work on a French constitution. The Tennis Court Oath became an important symbol of this first stage of the French Revolution.

The Tennis Court Oath

On June 20, 1789, the Third Estate in France (the commoners) met in the tennis court at the palace of Versailles to protest the King’s treatment of them. The King had locked them out of their meeting hall and they were not going to be able to vote on the important issue of taxes. When it became clear that the King was not going to give in to their demands, the representatives of the Third Estate took an oath not to leave the tennis court until they had a new constitution.

What was the Tennis Court Oath?

The Tennis Court Oath (Serment du Jeu de paume) was a pledge signed by 576 of the 577 members from the Third Estate who were locked out of a meeting of the Estates-General on 20 June 1789. The Tennis Court Oath was apromise to not separate before they had reach an agreement about the reforms needed in France. In taking this oath, the members of the National Assembly (later became the National Constituent Assembly) wanted to legitimize their power, show their willingness to work together towards reform, and unify France against the monarchy.

The Tennis Court Oath was a turning point in the French Revolution as it showed that the people would not simply sit back and watch as their king tried to take away their rights. It also showed that not everyone in France supported Bourbon rule, as many of those who swore this oath werenobles and clergymen. The people were ready for change, and the Tennis Court Oath helped to pave the way for a new government in France.

Why was the Tennis Court Oath taken?

On June 20, 1789, the Third Estate deputies took the Tennis Court Oath (Serment du jeu de paume) in a tennis court at the Palais-Royal in Paris. This was done in order to affix their signatures to a pledge that stated they would not disband until they had given France a new constitution. The deputies represented the common people of France who had been marginalized for years and were tired of being oppressed. The Tennis Court Oath was their way of taking a stand against the tyranny of the ruling class.

The Aftermath of the Tennis Court Oath

The Tennis Court Oath (Serment du Jeu de paume) was a pledge signed by 576 of the 577 members from the Third Estate who were present at the Tennis Court in Versailles. It was a pledge to never give up until a new Constitution was written. This Constitution would establish France as a constitutional monarchy. King Louis XVI reluctantly agreed tolet the National Assembly continue their work.

What happened after the Tennis Court Oath was taken?

The Tennis Court Oath (French: Serment du Jeu de Paume) was a pledgesigned by 576 of the 577 members from the Third Estate who met at the tennis court in the Palais-Royal in Paris on June 20, 1789. It was a symbolic act during the early days of the French Revolution. The majority of the deputies from the Estates-General of 1789 action took this oath, pledging “not to separate, and to reassemble wherever circumstances require, until provisions shall have been made for the security of the people”. The National Assembly existed in an informal setting, attempting to conduct business working around royal opposition. They initially met in a nearby room at Versailles. The popular society placed great pressure on them to convene, fearing their own demise should they fail to act quickly enough. They had begun to use the tennis court on May 5th as their meeting place; so when they heard about Louis XVI’s dismissal of Necker and call for an Etats-Generaux, they decided that is where they would meet.

The deputies were eager to prevent Louis XVI from dissolving their assembly and waited in their chamber for two days without fully agreeing on a course of action. On June 19th, encouraged by King Louis XVI’s personal urging and promises made through his brother – the Comte de Provence – not to dissolve them, they finally vacated their meeting room at Versailles and moved down the hall to an empty indoor tennis court. They next day –June 20th– some 576 of 577 deputies took an oath promising “not to separate, and to reassemble wherever circumstances require, until provisions shall have been made for the security of citizens.” One deputy who abstained from taking this Tennis Court Oath was Joseph Martin-Dauch (1744–1793), from Béarn; he would later be executed during Robespierre’s Reign of Terror (1793–94). This occurred because asEmmanuel Joseph Sieyès had proposed earlier that day in his essay “What is the Third Estate?”, deputies representing penultimate orders should take precedence over those representing ultimate orders. That is why Martin-Dauch refused to take this oath with everyone else; ultimately Béarn sided with France during the Revolution while Navarre remained loyal to King Charles IV (and would not join France until 1800).

The Tennis Court Oath served as a promise made by these deputies that they were determinedto see through necessary reforms, even if it meant putting their own lives at risk; it also helped unify these various factions into a single group with common goals despite their different social backgrounds. For example, Jean Sylvain Bailly (1736–1793) –the first mayor of Paris under The French Revolution– came from a noble background while Pierre-Joseph Cambon(1756–1820) was born into a wealthy merchant family; yet both men signed this Tennis Court Oath together. Jacques Guyard de Ménars(1740–99) was also one of those who signed this historic document; he belonged to oneofthe oldest familiesinFranceandwould later become mayorof Beauvaisduringthe Reignof Terror(1793–94). De Ménars was 80 years old when he took this oath; not only did all age groups sign it but all social classes as well –from nobles such as Mirabeauand Lafayette toocommoners such as François Alexandre Frédéric Ladislas de Douaiand Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult.

What were the consequences of the Tennis Court Oath?

The consequences of the Tennis Court Oath were far-reaching and had a significant impact on both France and the rest of Europe. The most immediate consequence was the abolition of feudalism, which had been a cornerstone of French society for centuries. This led to a dramatic increase in social mobility and a decrease in the power of the nobility. Additionally, the Tennis Court Oath helped to solidify the power of the National Assembly and set France on the path to becoming a constitutional monarchy.

The Oath also had an impact on the rest of Europe. At the time, most European countries were ruled by absolutist monarchs who had absolute power over their subjects. The success of the French Revolution showedthese monarchs that their subjects were capable of overthrowing them if they were not happy with their rule. This led to a series of revolts and uprisings across Europe, known as the Revolutions of 1848, which sought to overthrow these monarchs and establish constitutional democracies. Although most of these revolts ultimately failed, they did succeed in spreading liberal ideas across Europe and hastening the demise of absolutism.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Tennis Court Oath was taken in order to reaffirm the French people’s commitment to the principles of the Revolution, and to ensure that the National Assembly would remain united in its efforts to draft a new constitution. The Oath also helped to solidify public support for the Revolution, and showed the world that the French people were serious about making changes to their government.