The August Decrees Abolish Feudalism
In one overnight session, the Assembly ends a social order built on noble and clerical privilege
Quick facts
- Location
- Versailles, National Constituent Assembly
- Date
- 4-11 August 1789 (19 articles)
- Proposed by
- Duke of Aiguillon and Viscount de Noailles
- Key provision
- Personal servitude abolished outright; other dues redeemable
What happened
On the night of 4 August 1789, in a session that began at 8pm and ran until morning, the National Constituent Assembly voted to abolish the feudal system entirely. The Duke of Aiguillon proposed ending feudal rights, and the Viscount de Noailles proposed abolishing noble privileges; deputy after deputy then rose to renounce, in what observers called a night of "patriotic delirium," the specific privileges of his own town, province, or order. The resulting nineteen articles, adopted between 4 and 11 August, abolished serfdom and personal feudal servitude outright with no compensation, while other feudal dues were declared redeemable at a price the Assembly would later fix. Tithes to the Church and the tax exemptions of the nobility and clergy were swept away in the same session.
Why it matters
The August Decrees ended, at least on paper, the legal foundation of a social order that had structured France since the Middle Ages. In practice many redeemable dues kept being paid for years afterward, but the principle that birth alone no longer conferred legal privilege could not be undone.
How we know
The decrees survive in the French statute record, digitized with commentary by World History Encyclopedia and in English translation by Columbia University's history program; both align on the night's sequence and the redeemable-versus-abolished distinction in the text.
Sources
- Columbia University (translated statute text). Decrees of 4 August 1789 · Primary source (author-declared)columbia.edu · Cited as a "primary" source (no stronger domain match).
- World History Encyclopedia. August Decrees · Reputable sourceworldhistory.org · The domain "worldhistory.org" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
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