Significance of the Tennis Court Oath
According to the PBS website, the Tennis Court Oath of June 20, 1789, is an important moment in the history of France because it marks the beginning of the French Revolution. The Tennis Court Oath was the moment the majority of the population of France began to take control of the country.
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History
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The Tennis Court Oath came about because of disagreements between King Louis XVI and the three estates that made up the government of France. The Estates General meeting was called in 1788 in an effort to halt the French monarchy’s slide into bankruptcy and to affect economic and political reform. The Bastille Day & The French Revolution website reports the Estates General meeting opened on May 5, 1789, and spent the next month arguing over the voting system to be used within the meeting. Voting was split by King Louis XVI allowing the First and Second estates, representing the clergy and nobility of France, to halt any measures introduced by the Third Estate, representing the common people.
National Assembly
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On June 17, 1789, the members of the Third Estate declared themselves the National Assembly of France. They offered to join forces with the members of the First and Second Estate in the writing of a national constitution. On June 20, the members of the Third Estate were locked out of the meeting hall in the Palace of Versailles, leading to fears Louis XVI was attempting to disband the Third Estate. In response, the members of the Third Estate found an empty tennis court at Versailles and held a meeting of their own--during which they vowed not to disband until they had written the French constitution. This oath became known as the "Tennis Court Oath."
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Law
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Mount Holyoke College's History Department calls the Tennis Court Oath an important step during the French Revolution. This is because when the members of the Third Estate declared themselves the National Assembly of France, they had no legal rights to do so. Washington State University reports the constitution was eventually completed in 1791 and declared France to be a constitutional monarchy.
Why a Tennis Court?
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The PBS website explains that the use of the tennis court at Versailles for the declaration of a National Assembly and the creation of a constitution is an important factor in the history of the French Revolution. The Third Estate represented the poorest people of France, and tennis courts were a sign of nobility and wealth. By the 18th century, tennis had dropped out of fashion in France--but the building and maintaining of tennis courts remained an important status symbol for the nobility.
Events
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According to Washington State University, the Tennis Court Oath led directly to the beginning of the French Revolution, as it showed a loss of power on behalf of Louis XVI. In response to the Tennis Court Oath, Louis XVI ordered the Estates General to join the newly formed National Assembly. The Tennis Court Oath declared that when the system of government in France was broken, the people had the right to create a new government. By conceding to the National Assembly, Louis XVI admitted the current system of government was no longer working.
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- Photo Credit french flag image by Tomasz Cebo from Fotolia.com
