What was the Tennis Court Oath?

To fully understand the impact of the Tennis Court Oath, it is helpful to understand the group known as the ‘Estates-General’.

This group was an assembly of the representatives of the three traditional groups (known as ‘estates’) of French society: clergy, nobility, and commoners.

In May 1789, the Estates General was called upon to address France's severe financial crisis.

What made this moment so profound was that this assembly had not been called since 1614.

The French king had intentionally not involved the Estates General in dealing with national problems because he wanted to avoid any sharing of his power.  

In 1789, France was facing a major economic crisis. It was caused by France's involvement in costly wars such as the American Revolution, which had drained the royal treasury.

While the monarchy had attempted to implement a range of measures to solve their problems, it only made matters worse.

When he had finally run out of ideas, King Louis XVI was finally forced to gather the representatives of the Estates-General at his Versailles palace. 

Unfortunately, the way the Estates-General was divided was very unequal, which led to immediate tensions.

The First Estate (the clergy) and the Second Estate (the nobility) enjoyed numerous privileges, including tax exemptions that burdened the Third Estate—the commoners—who represented the majority of the population.

This imbalance fueled a growing sense of injustice among members of the Third Estate.

In response, they began to demand more say in national decisions.

They were inspired in this by Enlightenment ideals and figures such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who had advocated for a more egalitarian society. 

However, the immediate catalyst for the Tennis Court Oath was actually over the deadlock that had arisen in their discussions over voting procedures.

Traditionally, each estate had one vote, which meant the First and Second Estates could operate as a bloc to override the Third Estate.

The Third Estate, which represented over 95% of the population, found this system grossly unfair.

Instead, they argued for a voting system by head—that is, one vote per representative—which would accurately reflect their greater numbers.

This proposal was rejected outright by the other two estates, which clung to their traditional privileges. 

Realizing that the first two estates would never give up their power, in early June, the Third Estate unilaterally declared itself the National Assembly: a completely independent political body that would take over the control of France.

To do this, however, they needed to draft a new constitution for France. This shocking move made the former Estates-General system redundant.

Outraged, Louis XVI locked the hall where they were meeting, claiming he needed it for preparations for a royal speech.

Faced with this apparent act of sabotage, the deputies of the new Assembly moved to a nearby indoor tennis court, which was the closest large space that could accommodate them. 

So, on June 20, 1789, the deputies of the Third Estate, joined by some from the First and Second Estates, convened in a humble tennis court in Versailles.

They swore not to separate until they had given France a new constitution, a vow that came to be known as the Tennis Court Oath.

The oath was both a symbolic and a practical pledge. It was a direct challenge to the authority of King Louis XVI and the traditional feudal hierarchies represented by the Estates-General.

In taking this oath, the deputies committed themselves to continuing their meeting regardless of the obstacles placed by the monarchy. 

There were several key figures in the events leading to and following the Tennis Court Oath.

First and foremost, was Jean-Sylvain Bailly, an esteemed astronomer before his political engagement.

He was elected as the first president of the National Assembly shortly before the Oath was taken.

His leadership during this period helped to organize and legitimize the Third Estate's defiant stand against the traditional structures of power. 

Another influential figure was Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès: a clergyman and political writer.

He would be a key writer on the ideological underpinnings of the revolution. He authored the seminal pamphlet "What is the Third Estate?" which argued compellingly that the common people constituted the true strength of the nation and deserved more representation.

In fact, this document became a rallying cry for the revolution. 

Alongside these leaders, the collective presence of the deputies of the Third Estate: such as Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, Count of Mirabeau, and Maximilien Robespierre.

Their rhetoric and actions in the months following the Oath would further steer the revolution towards more radical outcomes. 

Immediately following the oath, it became clear that the Third Estate was resolute in its quest for a constitutional government.

This act of defiance showed the nation that the traditional authority of the king and the existing feudal structures were no longer unchallengeable.

As news of the Oath spread, it inspired widespread public support for the deputies. 

Subsequently, this newfound boldness among the Third Estate prompted Louis XVI to recognize the National Assembly formally.

However, the king's attempts to control the Assembly by ordering the three estates to meet separately once again were met with direct resistance.

Then, on July 14, 1789, the storming of the Bastille occurred. This was directly caused by the escalating tension that effectively marked the end of royal authority. 

Moreover, the National Assembly's continued efforts led to significant legislative changes.

Ultimately, the abolition of feudalism on August 4, 1789, and the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen on August 26, 1789, laid the foundational principles of equality and individual rights.

So, the Tennis Court Oath came to be seen as a catalyst that irreversibly transformed France's politics.