At the beginning of the French Revolution, a number of members of the Third Estate and some from the First Estate signed what became known as the Tennis Court Oath. These members met during the Estates-General of June 20, 1789 at a tennis court located near the Palace of Versailles. 576 of the 577 people attending signed the document.
These members began to call themselves the National Assembly on June 17 and were led by Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau and Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès. This group developed over the next few days as the primary French legislative body. However, King Louis XVI feared a loss of power and decided to barricade the deputies doors and issue soldiers to guard the chambers. The group believed that a royal coup was imminent and so the deputies escaped their captors and congregated in a nearby indoor tennis court. They vowed at this time that despite the actions of the king, they collectively decided “never to separate, and to meet wherever circumstances demand, until the constitution of the kingdom is established and affirmed on solid foundations.”
As part of the Tennis Court Oath, the deputies pledged to continue meeting until the constitution was written. King Louis XVI put a prohibition on this action, however, this proved fruitless. This event was the first action that sparked the French Revolution. This idea asserted the theory that political authority was derived from the people and their representatives. It limited the power of the monarchy, mandating his power was given to him by the people. Louis XVI was forced to comply and ordered the clergy and nobility to join with the National Assembly.
The Oath
We swear never to separate ourselves from the National Assembly, and to reassemble wherever circumstances require, until the constitution of the realm is drawn up and fixed upon solid foundations.
The National Assembly's First Decree
Upon adoption of the oath, the National Assembly quickly passed its first decree:
The National Assembly, considering that it has been called to establish the constitution of the realm, to bring about the regeneration of public order, and to maintain the true principles of monarchy; nothing may prevent it from continuing its deliberations in any place it is forced to establish itself; and, finally, the National Assembly exists wherever its members are gathered.
Decrees that all members of this assembly immediately take an oath never to separate, and to reassemble wherever circumstances require, until the constitution of the realm is established and fixed upon solid foundations; and that said oath having been sworn, all members and each one individually confirm this unwavering resolution with his signature.
Importance
This was the first time that citizens of France stood in formal opposition of the monarchy. By refusing to back down, the Tennis Court Oath was the stimulus for a number of revolutionary acts across the country in the following months. The Storming of the Bastille and the March on Versailles soon took place. Eventually, King Louis XVI was executed, ending the reign of the Crown in France.
Sources:
Simon Schama, Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution (Vintage Books, 1990)
Peter McPhee, The French Revolution 1789-1799 (Oxford University Press, 2002)
David Andress, French Society in Revolution 1789-1799 (Manchester University Press, 1999)
Hugh Gough, The Terror in the French Revolution (Palgrave Macmillan, 1998)
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